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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: bore · fork · net · game · cell · stem · lean · patient

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. net — after costs
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. lean — to bend
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. game — wild animals
  8. net — in sport
  9. game — a match
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. fork — in a road
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. bore — to tire
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. lean — thin
  20. net — for catching
  21. bore — to drill
  22. cell — in biology
  23. cell — a phone
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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