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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 · bat · wake · cell · can · land · present · firm

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. present — the time now
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. land — a country
  7. cell — a phone
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. present — there
  10. firm — decided
  11. present — a gift
  12. can — a tin
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. bat — the animal
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. can — to be able to
  17. cell — in biology
  18. wake — a trail
  19. firm — steady
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. land — to come down
  22. land — ground
  23. can — a tin
  24. cell — in a prison

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