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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 don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  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. rock — to move gently
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. squash — to crush
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. spell — a short time
  10. stem — to come from
  11. spell — letters
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. rock — a stone
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. pound — a weight
  17. spell — magic
  18. rock — music
  19. squash — the sport
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  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