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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. prune — to trim
  5. mug — a face
  6. stem — to come from
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. spring — of water
  9. spring — a coil
  10. sharp — clever
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. prune — to trim
  14. mug — to rob
  15. spring — the season
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. kick — in football
  18. rush — hurry
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. mug — a cup
  24. stem — of a plant

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