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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 124 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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. kid — child
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. kid — to tease
  6. stem — to come from
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. shower — to wash
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. present — a gift
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. foot — a measure
  21. present — there
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. shower — rain

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