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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. spring — the season
  6. season — in sport
  7. lean — to bend
  8. foot — a measure
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. spring — a coil
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. lean — thin
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. stem — to come from
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. rock — a stone
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. rock — music
  22. season — of the year
  23. spring — of water
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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