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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. staff — employees
  6. mate — to breed
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. mug — a face
  9. cold — an illness
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. stem — to come from
  14. mug — a cup
  15. mug — to rob
  16. cold — not warm
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. mate — a friend
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. staff — a stick
  22. staff — employees
  23. mate — a partner
  24. stem — a stem cell

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