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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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. present — a gift
  4. cue — a hint
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. present — there
  7. stem — to come from
  8. row — to paddle
  9. row — a line
  10. cue — a signal
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. capital — money
  14. net — for catching
  15. plane — a tool
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. net — after costs
  18. capital — a city
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. cue — for pool
  21. present — the time now
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. net — in sport
  24. plane — an aircraft

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