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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. present — a gift
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. present — there
  7. stem — to come from
  8. deal — to handle
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. mark — a trace
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. mark — a grade
  17. bound — certain
  18. bound — tied together
  19. present — the time now
  20. bound — obliged
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. rash — a series

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