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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. staff — employees
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. game — wild animals
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. bear — the animal
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. stem — to come from
  13. staff — a stick
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. game — a match
  17. bear — the animal
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. kick — in football
  20. tube — a container
  21. toast — bread
  22. tube — the underground
  23. staff — employees
  24. tube — in a tire

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