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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 116 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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. stem — to come from
  5. game — a match
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. bound — obliged
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. craft — boats
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. shower — rain
  13. bound — tied together
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. craft — a skill
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. bound — certain
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. game — wild animals
  21. mine — for digging
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. shower — to wash
  24. wave — of the sea

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