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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. bulb — for light
  4. mate — to breed
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. stem — to come from
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. bulb — for light
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. mate — a friend
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. mark — a trace
  21. mark — a grade
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. coach — a trainer

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