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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. club — for dancing
  6. club — for golf
  7. charge — a price
  8. wax — to grow
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. dip — to sink
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. stem — to come from
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. rash — a series
  17. charge — electricity
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. charge — in control
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. club — a 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