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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. content — the amount
  3. wound — an injury
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. last — to go on
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. last — final
  12. last — finally
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. bark — to shout
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. content — happy
  24. stem — to come from

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