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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  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. stem — to come from
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. swing — in golf
  5. spell — a short time
  6. ball — a dance
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. wound — an injury
  10. swing — to play on
  11. pop — soda
  12. spell — magic
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. spell — letters
  15. ball — a great time
  16. swing — music
  17. wound — an injury
  18. pop — to visit
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. pop — music
  23. stem — a stem cell
  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