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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: bat · stem · patient · chest · rest · pound · wake · stick

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. pound — a weight
  5. chest — of your body
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stem — to come from
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. chest — a box
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. rest — a break
  17. chest — of your body
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. wake — a trail
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. bat — the animal
  23. rest — what's left
  24. patient — a sick person

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