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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. stem — to come from
  5. spell — a short time
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. spell — magic
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. spell — letters
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. chest — of your body
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. scale — in music
  15. lie — to recline
  16. scale — size or range
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. squash — the sport
  19. chest — a box
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. squash — to crush
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. chest — of your 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