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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bank · last · land · patient · pitch · mine · stem · toast

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. pitch — completely
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. land — to come down
  6. bank — of a river
  7. land — ground
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. land — a country
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. bank — for money
  14. mine — for digging
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. last — to go on
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. last — final
  20. stem — to come from
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. last — finally
  23. bank — for money
  24. toast — bread

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