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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. can — a tin
  4. season — in sport
  5. mark — a grade
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. kid — to tease
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. rush — hurry
  11. cap — a hat
  12. mark — a trace
  13. stem — to come from
  14. can — to be able to
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. cap — of ice
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. season — of the year
  20. can — a tin
  21. kid — child
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. cap — a lid

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