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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: cabinet · patient · fork · last · current · stem · mine · straw

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. mine — for digging
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. last — finally
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. current — of water
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. last — final
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. fork — in a road
  15. current — happening now
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. current — electric
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. stem — to come from
  24. mine — an explosive

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