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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 120 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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. chest — a box
  3. mug — a cup
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. tube — the underground
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. mug — to rob
  8. rock — music
  9. tube — a container
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. fall — to drop
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. fall — the season
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. cold — an illness
  16. fall — to drop
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. mug — a face
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. cold — not warm
  21. chest — of your body
  22. stem — to come from
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. chest — of your body

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