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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. kid — child
  5. stem — to come from
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. cell — in biology
  10. bore — to drill
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. cell — a phone
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. stand — to bear
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. kid — to tease
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. roll — a cake
  24. roll — a list

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