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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. content — happy
  3. content — the amount
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. ground — a position
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. shower — rain
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. ground — the earth
  12. tube — the underground
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. shower — to wash
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. stem — to come from
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. ground — crushed
  23. tube — a container
  24. safe — out of danger

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