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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: dip · face · patient · pitch · cue · stem · tear · cell

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. tear — from crying
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. face — to confront
  7. cue — a signal
  8. tear — from crying
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. cue — for pool
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. face — to point toward
  13. dip — to sink
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. cell — in biology
  16. stem — to come from
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. tear — to rip
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. cell — a phone
  22. pitch — completely
  23. cue — a hint
  24. face — part of the head

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