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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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Word bank
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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: mouse · chair · calf · stem · patient · present

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. chair — a leader
  5. present — a gift
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. present — the time now
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. present — there
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. 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