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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. stem — to come from
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. mate — a partner
  9. row — a line
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. mate — a friend
  12. lie — to recline
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. mate — to breed
  16. scale — in music
  17. row — to paddle
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. scale — size or range
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. tube — a container
  24. scale — for weighing

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