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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 120 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: stem · patient · bear · nail · wake · cell · lie · mug

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. wake — a trail
  6. stem — to come from
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. bear — the animal
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. bear — the animal
  12. mug — a cup
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. cell — a phone
  17. mug — a face
  18. lie — to recline
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. mug — to rob
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. lie — an untruth

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