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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  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. land — to come down
  2. stem — to come from
  3. band — a ring
  4. kick — in football
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. staff — employees
  11. bank — for money
  12. land — ground
  13. land — a country
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. staff — a stick
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. staff — employees
  18. band — a music group
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. bank — for money
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. bank — of a river
  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