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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 116 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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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: patient · net · cell · stem · scale · present · row · bore

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. stem — to come from
  5. scale — in music
  6. present — a gift
  7. net — for catching
  8. bore — to drill
  9. row — a line
  10. net — in sport
  11. present — the time now
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. scale — size or range
  14. cell — in biology
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. bore — to tire
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. row — to paddle
  21. net — after costs
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. present — there
  24. cell — a phone

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