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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: cell · ball · rest · bound · patient · stem · game · deal

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. bound — certain
  4. rest — a break
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. rest — what's left
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. game — a match
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. ball — a great time
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. game — wild animals
  18. bound — tied together
  19. rest — what's left
  20. bound — obliged
  21. ball — a dance
  22. cell — a phone
  23. cell — in biology
  24. deal — to handle

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