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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 120 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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. saw — the tool
  5. net — for catching
  6. stem — to come from
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. content — happy
  11. net — in sport
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. content — the amount
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. mine — for digging
  18. saw — the tool
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. deal — to handle
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. patient — a sick person

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