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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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. fine — all right
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. row — a line
  9. chip — for betting
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. season — of the year
  15. fine — high quality
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. chip — to eat
  18. season — in sport
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. row — to paddle
  23. band — a ring
  24. band — a music group

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