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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. fall — the season
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. fall — to drop
  8. bass — the fish
  9. track — to keep track
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. track — a song
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. stem — to come from
  15. bass — low music
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. fall — to drop
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. kid — child
  22. track — a path
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. kid — to tease

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