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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. track — a path
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. track — to keep track
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. spell — magic
  10. spell — letters
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. chip — to eat
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. pound — a weight
  18. spell — a short time
  19. chip — for betting
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. track — a song
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. bat — the animal
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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