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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. foot — a measure
  4. game — a match
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. game — wild animals
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. toast — bread
  9. stand — to bear
  10. cell — a phone
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. wound — an injury
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. cell — in biology
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. stem — to come from
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. patient — a sick person

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