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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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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: row · jam · rest · patient · stem · wax · cabinet · season

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. wax — to grow
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rest — what's left
  9. season — of the year
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. row — a line
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. season — in sport
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. rest — a break
  17. stem — to come from
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. row — to paddle

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