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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. charge — electricity
  7. charge — a price
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. mark — a trace
  15. mark — a grade
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. ball — a dance
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. charge — in control
  23. deal — to handle
  24. ball — a great time

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