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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. roll — a list
  4. pit — a hole
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. pit — in a race
  10. roll — a cake
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. season — of the year
  13. fine — high quality
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. season — in sport
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. fine — all right
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. stem — to come from

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