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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 116 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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — an injury
  8. ball — a dance
  9. mine — for digging
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. fine — all right
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. cue — a hint
  14. ball — a great time
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. cue — for pool
  17. row — a line
  18. fine — high quality
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. cue — a signal
  21. stem — to come from
  22. row — to paddle
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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