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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 116 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: firm · file · race · patient · press · stem · leaves · wind

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. firm — steady
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. wind — moving air
  5. firm — a company
  6. stem — to come from
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. file — a line of people
  9. race — humankind
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. press — a publisher
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. race — a contest
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. firm — decided
  16. wind — moving air
  17. file — a tool
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. press — to push
  21. race — the arms race
  22. file — a document
  23. press — newspapers
  24. leaves — to go away

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