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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  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. craft — a handicraft
  2. stem — to come from
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. object — an aim
  5. field — farmland
  6. craft — boats
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. rash — hasty
  9. object — to protest
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. craft — a skill
  12. kick — in football
  13. band — a music group
  14. field — for sport
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. rash — a series
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. field — a subject
  20. object — a thing
  21. band — a ring
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. kick — with a leg
  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