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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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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: cold · bear · stick · cell · row · patient · stand · pitcher

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. cold — not warm
  5. bear — the animal
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. row — to paddle
  9. cold — an illness
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. stand — to bear
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. cell — in biology
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. row — a line
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. cell — a phone
  24. bear — the animal

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