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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 124 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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bear — the animal
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. last — to go on
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. present — the time now
  8. mine — for digging
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. present — there
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. present — a gift
  16. last — final
  17. prune — to trim
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. prune — to trim
  21. stem — to come from
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. last — finally
  24. leaves — of a tree

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