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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. rock — music
  5. wind — moving air
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. rock — a stone
  10. content — happy
  11. press — a publisher
  12. shower — to wash
  13. track — a path
  14. shower — rain
  15. stem — to come from
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. press — to push
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. track — to keep track
  20. content — the amount
  21. press — newspapers
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. wind — moving air

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