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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. mug — to rob
  4. shower — to wash
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. bear — the animal
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. shower — rain
  11. stand — to bear
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. bear — the animal
  14. stem — to come from
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. cold — not warm
  19. mug — a face
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. mug — a cup
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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