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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. wind — moving air
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. present — a gift
  5. mark — a grade
  6. stem — to come from
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. fine — all right
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. present — there
  14. pound — a weight
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. fine — high quality
  18. present — the time now
  19. wind — moving air
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. mark — a trace
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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