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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. chair — a leader
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. rock — a stone
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. bear — the animal
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. rock — music
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. stem — to come from
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. bear — the animal
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. content — happy
  24. content — the amount

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