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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: chair · patient · plane · mine · fan · object · ground · stem

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. 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. ground — the earth
  2. object — to protest
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. object — an aim
  5. ground — a position
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. chair — a leader
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. mine — for digging
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. object — a thing
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. ground — crushed
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. stem — to come from
  23. plane — a tool
  24. 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