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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: last · stem · land · patient · jam · kid · fan · rule

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. stem — to come from
  3. land — a country
  4. last — to go on
  5. kid — child
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. kid — to tease
  10. rule — government
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. rule — a law
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. last — finally
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. last — final
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. land — to come down
  24. land — ground

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