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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  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. stem — to come from
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. foot — a measure
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. bear — the animal
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. wound — an injury
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. chair — a leader
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. wound — an injury
  17. spell — letters
  18. spell — magic
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bass — the fish
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. bass — low music
  23. spell — a short time
  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