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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. foot — a measure
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. bound — obliged
  7. bound — tied together
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. stem — to come from
  10. file — a tool
  11. file — a document
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. season — in sport
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. fork — in a road
  18. file — a line of people
  19. bound — certain
  20. season — of the year
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. bat — the animal
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. bat — in an idiom

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