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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. snap — to click
  4. board — a committee
  5. board — to get on
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. shower — to wash
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. stem — to come from
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. rush — hurry
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. date — the fruit
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. shower — rain

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com