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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. saw — the tool
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. game — wild animals
  8. squash — to crush
  9. game — a match
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. saw — the tool
  12. bass — the fish
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. rash — a series
  15. squash — the sport
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. stem — to come from
  18. bass — low music
  19. fine — all right
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. fine — high quality
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. fine — a penalty

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