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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 120 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 shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. cell — a phone
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. saw — the tool
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. ground — a position
  8. ground — the earth
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. saw — the tool
  11. cell — in biology
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. fine — all right
  14. rash — hasty
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. rash — a series
  22. ground — crushed
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. stem — to come from

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