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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 120 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: staff · bear · march · wound · stem · deal · patient · race

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  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. staff — employees
  2. march — music
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. staff — employees
  7. march — the month
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. race — humankind
  10. staff — a stick
  11. bear — the animal
  12. wound — an injury
  13. march — the month
  14. deal — to handle
  15. race — the arms race
  16. bear — the animal
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. wound — an injury
  20. race — a contest
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. stem — to come from
  23. patient — a sick person
  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