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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. last — final
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. net — after costs
  5. net — in sport
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. firm — steady
  9. last — finally
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. last — to go on
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. wound — an injury
  15. net — for catching
  16. march — music
  17. march — the month
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. march — the month
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. firm — decided
  23. firm — a company
  24. stem — to come from

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