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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mine — for digging
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. tube — a container
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. stem — to come from
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. tube — the underground
  16. wake — a trail
  17. roll — a list
  18. craft — a skill
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. craft — boats
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. stem — of a plant

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