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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. cue — a signal
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. last — finally
  6. scale — size or range
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. bore — to tire
  9. scale — in music
  10. stem — to come from
  11. last — to go on
  12. plane — a tool
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. cue — a hint
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. bear — the animal
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. bear — the animal
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. bore — to drill
  24. cue — for pool

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