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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. mug — a face
  5. cue — a signal
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. cue — for pool
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. stem — to come from
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. mug — to rob
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. cue — a hint
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. mug — a cup
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. band — a music group
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. band — a ring
  24. toast — bread

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