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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. staff — employees
  5. march — the month
  6. stem — to come from
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. march — music
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. content — happy
  11. bore — to tire
  12. staff — employees
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. rash — hasty
  17. bore — to drill
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. staff — a stick
  20. march — the month
  21. rash — a series
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. stem — of a plant

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