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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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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: saw · patient · pound · fine · stem · date · hand · mark

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  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. date — the fruit
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. hand — help
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. fine — all right
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. mark — a trace
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. stem — to come from
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. mark — a grade
  15. fine — high quality
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. hand — in cards
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. pound — a weight
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. saw — the tool
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. saw — the tool
  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