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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — to trim
  5. drill — the tool
  6. chest — a box
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. chest — of your body
  9. toast — bread
  10. chest — of your body
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. bulb — for light
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. drill — a practice
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. stem — to come from
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. drill — army training
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bulb — of a plant

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