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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 newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  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. foot — the bottom
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. foot — a measure
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. mine — for digging
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. bass — the fish
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. cold — not warm
  12. lie — to recline
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. bass — low music
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. cold — an illness
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. stem — to come from
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. perch — the fish
  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