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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.

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: rest · hand · pitcher · snap · fan · stem · patient · leaves

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  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. rest — a break
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. stem — to come from
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. hand — in cards
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. snap — to click
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rest — what's left
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. hand — help
  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