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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: game · season · present · patient · file · plane · ground · stem

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. plane — a tool
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. file — a document
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. present — there
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. season — in sport
  10. file — a line of people
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. present — a gift
  13. present — the time now
  14. stem — to come from
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. ground — a position
  19. season — of the year
  20. file — a tool
  21. game — wild animals
  22. ground — crushed
  23. game — a match
  24. ground — the earth

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