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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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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: foot · patient · board · stem · nail · wax · field · bat

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. stem — to come from
  6. board — a committee
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. wax — to grow
  9. field — farmland
  10. field — for sport
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. field — a subject
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. board — to get on
  16. bat — the animal
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. foot — a measure
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. bat — for baseball

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