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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wound · content · patient · toast · club · stem · ruler · mine

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. club — for golf
  5. club — for dancing
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. content — happy
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. content — the amount
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. mine — for digging
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. toast — bread
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — an injury
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. stem — to come from
  24. patient — a sick person

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