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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: drill · hide · chest · ball · patient · face · stem · march

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. march — music
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. stem — to come from
  6. chest — of your body
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. march — the month
  9. march — the month
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. drill — the tool
  12. drill — a practice
  13. drill — army training
  14. face — part of the head
  15. face — to confront
  16. chest — of your body
  17. ball — a dance
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. face — to point toward
  20. chest — a box
  21. ball — a great time
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. hide — animal skin

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