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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 120 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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. net — in sport
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. pitch — completely
  7. hand — in cards
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. hand — help
  10. spell — letters
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. net — after costs
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. net — for catching
  15. current — happening now
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. stem — to come from
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. spell — a short time
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. current — of water
  23. current — electric
  24. spell — magic

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