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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. mine — for digging
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. spell — letters
  7. fine — all right
  8. spell — a short time
  9. cue — for pool
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. cue — a signal
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. fine — high quality
  17. row — a line
  18. mark — a grade
  19. stem — to come from
  20. cue — a hint
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. mark — a trace
  23. row — to paddle
  24. spell — magic

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