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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. object — to protest
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. cold — an illness
  8. object — an aim
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. object — a thing
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. rock — music
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. cold — not warm
  22. stem — to come from
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. lash — to lash out

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