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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. stem — to come from
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. wound — an injury
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. suit — in cards
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bore — to tire
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. suit — to fit
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. dip — to sink
  15. last — final
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. suit — clothes
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. bore — to drill
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. last — finally
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. stem — a stem cell

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