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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. rash — hasty
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. staff — employees
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. staff — employees
  10. ball — a dance
  11. stem — to come from
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. wound — an injury
  15. staff — a stick
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. fine — high quality
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. fine — all right
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. ball — a great time
  24. rash — a series

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