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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 116 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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. dip — to sink
  3. spell — letters
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. board — to get on
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. track — a song
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. track — to keep track
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. board — a committee
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. spell — a short time
  15. staff — employees
  16. spell — magic
  17. stem — to come from
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. mine — for digging
  21. track — a path
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. staff — a stick
  24. staff — employees

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