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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. chair — a leader
  3. bear — the animal
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. root — the cause
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. branch — a division
  12. stem — to come from
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. bear — the animal
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. root — of a plant
  21. root — of a word
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. patient — a sick person

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