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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. wound — an injury
  3. swing — to play on
  4. mug — to rob
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. mug — a face
  12. mug — a cup
  13. stock — goods
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. mine — for digging
  18. wound — an injury
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. swing — in golf
  21. stock — shares
  22. foot — a measure
  23. swing — music
  24. foot — part of the body

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