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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: fan · stem · temple · chest · patient · pit · field · lie

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. chest — of your body
  11. pit — a hole
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. field — farmland
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. chest — a box
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. chest — of your body
  20. lie — to recline
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. field — for sport
  23. stem — to come from
  24. field — a subject

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