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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. last — to go on
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. stem — to come from
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. last — finally
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. cue — a hint
  10. track — to keep track
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. cue — for pool
  13. press — to push
  14. spring — the season
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. track — a path
  17. cue — a signal
  18. press — a publisher
  19. press — newspapers
  20. dip — to sink
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. spring — a coil
  23. last — final
  24. spring — of water

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