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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. march — the month
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. march — music
  6. mine — for digging
  7. track — a song
  8. kick — in football
  9. stem — to come from
  10. stand — to bear
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. land — to come down
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. land — ground
  19. track — to keep track
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. track — a path
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. march — the month
  24. land — a country

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