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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. file — a tool
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. cold — not warm
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. lie — to recline
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. file — a line of people
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. file — a document
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. cold — an illness
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. stem — to come from
  20. date — the fruit
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. racket — for tennis

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