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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. roll — a list
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. ground — the earth
  5. roll — a cake
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. scale — size or range
  8. bear — the animal
  9. game — wild animals
  10. stem — to come from
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. shower — rain
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. shower — to wash
  16. scale — in music
  17. bear — the animal
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. game — a match
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. ground — crushed

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