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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. tube — the underground
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. tube — a container
  13. file — a line of people
  14. file — a document
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. stem — to come from
  17. snap — to click
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. row — a line
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. file — a tool
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. row — to paddle

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