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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. degree — an amount
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. content — happy
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. stem — to come from
  13. content — the amount
  14. degree — temperature
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. rush — hurry
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. fork — in a road
  20. degree — from a university
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. rush — to hurry

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