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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 coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. stem — to come from
  4. capital — money
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. object — an aim
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. object — to protest
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. kid — child
  11. object — a thing
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. field — for sport
  14. capital — a city
  15. field — a subject
  16. kid — to tease
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. plane — a tool
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. swing — to play on
  22. field — farmland
  23. swing — music
  24. plane — in geometry

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