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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. mate — to breed
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. mate — a partner
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. mate — a friend
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. wake — a trail
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. cue — a hint
  14. stem — to come from
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. clip — for paper
  18. cue — a signal
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cue — for pool
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. clip — to cut
  23. chair — a leader
  24. clip — a video

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