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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 120 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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. drill — a practice
  6. stem — to come from
  7. cap — of ice
  8. cap — a hat
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. drill — army training
  12. key — for a lock
  13. prune — to trim
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. plane — a tool
  16. key — in music
  17. prune — to trim
  18. drill — the tool
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. cap — a lid
  21. key — the most important part
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. patient — a sick person

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