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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. stem — to come from
  6. drill — the tool
  7. spring — of water
  8. spring — the season
  9. drill — a practice
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. drill — army training
  12. wound — an injury
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. spring — a coil
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. tube — the underground
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. chair — a leader
  23. tube — a container
  24. tube — in a tire

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