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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. mug — a cup
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. stem — to come from
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. tear — from crying
  7. rush — hurry
  8. mug — a face
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. mine — for digging
  11. fine — high quality
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. mug — to rob
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. track — a song
  17. tear — to rip
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. track — a path
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. tear — from crying
  24. track — to keep track

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