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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. season — in sport
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. hand — in cards
  8. hand — help
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. mine — for digging
  11. stem — to come from
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. fine — high quality
  14. race — humankind
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. race — a contest
  19. fine — all right
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. season — of the year
  24. race — the arms race

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