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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. can — a tin
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. cell — in biology
  7. rush — hurry
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. can — to be able to
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. capital — a city
  16. cell — a phone
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. toast — bread
  21. can — a tin
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. capital — money
  24. rush — to hurry

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