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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.

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: mate · pound · stem · mine · scale · arm · sharp · patient

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. mate — to breed
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. sharp — clever
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. mine — for digging
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. stem — to come from
  20. scale — in music
  21. mate — a friend
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. scale — size or range
  24. pound — a weight

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