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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: straw · net · bound · stem · patient · row · toast · wax

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. net — after costs
  5. net — in sport
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bound — certain
  14. row — to paddle
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. wax — to grow
  18. net — for catching
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. stem — to come from
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. bound — tied together
  23. row — a line
  24. toast — bread

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