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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. wound — an injury
  6. stem — to come from
  7. wake — a trail
  8. wound — an injury
  9. field — a subject
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. ball — a great time
  14. ball — a dance
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. field — for sport
  18. bore — to tire
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. bore — to drill
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. field — farmland

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