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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. cap — of ice
  7. march — the month
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. key — in music
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. bulb — for light
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. lean — to bend
  15. march — music
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. key — the most important part
  18. key — for a lock
  19. cap — a hat
  20. lean — thin
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. march — the month
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. cap — a lid

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