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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. degree — an amount
  9. degree — from a university
  10. ground — crushed
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. ground — a position
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. degree — temperature
  23. ground — the earth
  24. fan — a supporter

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