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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: patient · deal · march · fan · nail · stem · cabinet · pop

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. pop — to visit
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. pop — soda
  9. deal — to handle
  10. march — the month
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. pop — music
  13. march — the month
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. march — music
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. stem — to come from
  24. fan — a supporter

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