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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: mate · patient · cold · chest · bay · stem · fine · tear

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. cold — an illness
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. cold — not warm
  6. stem — to come from
  7. tear — from crying
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. mate — a friend
  10. chest — of your body
  11. tear — to rip
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. chest — of your body
  14. tear — from crying
  15. fine — all right
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. mate — a partner
  19. fine — high quality
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. chest — a box
  23. mate — to breed
  24. bay — a horse colour

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