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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: jam · land · patient · cabinet · bowl · stem · dip · pound

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. land — a country
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. land — ground
  17. dip — to sink
  18. land — to come down
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. pound — a weight
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. pound — for dogs

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