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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. hand — help
  6. pop — to visit
  7. hand — in cards
  8. cap — a hat
  9. file — a tool
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. cap — of ice
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. stem — to come from
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. file — a line of people
  18. pop — music
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. mark — a grade
  21. mark — a trace
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. file — a document
  24. cap — a lid

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