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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: patient · chair · bank · craft · fine · clip · object · stem

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. object — a thing
  3. fine — all right
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. bank — for money
  6. object — an aim
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. craft — boats
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. fine — high quality
  12. chair — a leader
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. clip — a video
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. stem — to come from
  17. craft — a skill
  18. object — to protest
  19. bank — of a river
  20. clip — to cut
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. clip — for paper
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. bank — for money

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