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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. court — of law
  5. season — of the year
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. bass — low music
  10. bass — the fish
  11. court — of a king
  12. court — for sport
  13. deal — to handle
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. stem — to come from
  16. plane — a tool
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. season — in sport
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. shower — to wash
  24. shower — rain

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