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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 · row · stem · current · hand · stand · pit · kick

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. stem — to come from
  3. row — to paddle
  4. row — a line
  5. current — of water
  6. current — happening now
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. pit — a hole
  13. hand — in cards
  14. kick — in football
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. pit — in a race
  21. current — electric
  22. stand — to bear
  23. hand — help
  24. stem — a stem cell

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