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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. degree — from a university
  4. stem — to come from
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. wound — an injury
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. suit — to fit
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. cold — an illness
  13. degree — temperature
  14. suit — clothes
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. cold — not warm
  17. wound — an injury
  18. saw — the tool
  19. suit — in cards
  20. scale — in music
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. degree — an amount
  23. saw — the tool
  24. scale — for weighing

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