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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. stem — to come from
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. kid — to tease
  5. rock — music
  6. swing — to play on
  7. kid — child
  8. toast — bread
  9. rock — a stone
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. content — happy
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. swing — music
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. swing — in golf
  21. content — the amount
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. patient — a sick person

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