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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: pit · chair · lean · suit · stem · patient · cell · mate

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. lean — to bend
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. pit — in a race
  5. chair — a leader
  6. stem — to come from
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. suit — clothes
  12. lean — thin
  13. mate — a friend
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. pit — a hole
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. mate — to breed
  18. cell — in biology
  19. cell — a phone
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. suit — in cards
  22. suit — to fit
  23. patient — a sick person
  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