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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. net — for catching
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. cap — of ice
  9. cap — a hat
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. spring — a coil
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. stem — to come from
  14. cap — a lid
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. wake — a trail
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. net — after costs
  19. net — in sport
  20. chair — a leader
  21. spring — the season
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. spring — of water

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