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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. mine — for digging
  4. net — for catching
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. net — after costs
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. stem — to come from
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. foot — a measure
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. firm — decided
  15. firm — a company
  16. net — in sport
  17. staff — employees
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. staff — employees
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. staff — a stick
  24. pound — a weight

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