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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. file — a line of people
  6. file — a document
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. wake — a trail
  12. present — there
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. present — the time now
  15. chip — for betting
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. chip — to eat
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. file — a tool
  23. patient — a sick person
  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