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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. stem — to come from
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. firm — a company
  6. fall — the season
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. rock — a stone
  10. mate — a friend
  11. rock — music
  12. cap — a hat
  13. mate — a partner
  14. firm — steady
  15. snap — to click
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. cap — of ice
  20. fall — to drop
  21. firm — decided
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. fall — to drop
  24. cap — a lid

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