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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
468
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: stem · ground · saw · deal · patient · row · lie · mine

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. saw — the tool
  4. row — to paddle
  5. ground — crushed
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. ground — a position
  9. deal — to handle
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. saw — the tool
  15. lie — to recline
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. row — a line
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. ground — the earth
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. stem — to come from
  23. mine — for digging
  24. stem — a stem cell

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