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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. stem — to come from
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. capital — a city
  5. content — happy
  6. current — of water
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. bass — low music
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. capital — money
  11. sharp — clever
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. current — electric
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. content — the amount
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. current — happening now
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. bass — the fish
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. stem — of a plant

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