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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. cold — an illness
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. stem — to come from
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. stock — shares
  12. tube — a container
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. pound — a weight
  15. mark — a grade
  16. cold — not warm
  17. mark — a trace
  18. bound — obliged
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. tube — the underground
  21. stock — goods
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bound — certain

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