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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. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. march — music
  5. march — the month
  6. can — a tin
  7. bear — the animal
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. bound — obliged
  11. prune — to trim
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. file — a document
  14. can — to be able to
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bound — certain
  17. march — the month
  18. file — a line of people
  19. can — a tin
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. bound — tied together
  22. stem — to come from
  23. file — a tool
  24. prune — to trim

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