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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: stand · stem · mine · present · patient · bowl · pit · branch

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. stand — to bear
  6. stem — to come from
  7. pit — a hole
  8. present — there
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. present — the time now
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. present — a gift
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. pit — in a race
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. mine — for digging
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. branch — a division
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. branch — of a bank

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