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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. stem — to come from
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. can — a tin
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. squash — the sport
  11. squash — to crush
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. foot — a measure
  14. can — to be able to
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. can — a tin
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. bat — in an idiom

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