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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 116 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: lie · stem · club · court · patient · fall

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. court — of law
  6. lie — to recline
  7. court — for sport
  8. fall — to drop
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. club — a group
  11. club — for golf
  12. fall — to drop
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. club — for dancing
  16. court — of a king
  17. stem — to come from
  18. stem — of a plant

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