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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. season — in sport
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. press — newspapers
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. hand — in cards
  12. sharp — clever
  13. race — humankind
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. stem — to come from
  17. hand — help
  18. season — of the year
  19. press — to push
  20. race — a contest
  21. press — a publisher
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. bear — the animal
  24. race — the arms race

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