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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. tube — a container
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. mark — a grade
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. hand — in cards
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. stem — to come from
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. pound — a weight
  14. mark — a trace
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. tube — the underground
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. sharp — clever
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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