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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. stock — goods
  7. stem — to come from
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. bass — low music
  10. stock — shares
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. shower — rain
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. band — a music group
  17. bass — the fish
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. sharp — clever
  20. wake — a trail
  21. band — a ring
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. shower — to wash

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