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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 120 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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. sharp — clever
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. fork — in a road
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. last — final
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. last — to go on
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. stem — to come from
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. cell — in biology
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. last — finally
  24. stem — a stem cell

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