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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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. ground — crushed
  5. bound — tied together
  6. cap — a hat
  7. stem — to come from
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. bound — obliged
  10. ground — the earth
  11. tear — to rip
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. tear — from crying
  14. ground — a position
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. tear — from crying
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. cap — a lid
  22. bound — certain
  23. rock — music
  24. cap — of ice

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