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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. key — the most important part
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. key — for a lock
  5. key — in music
  6. chair — a leader
  7. prune — to trim
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. stem — to come from
  10. tube — a container
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. bark — to shout
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. prune — to trim
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. tube — the underground
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. patient — a sick person

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