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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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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: bay · land · stand · cue · kick · bat · stem · patient

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  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. land — ground
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. stand — to bear
  4. land — a country
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. stem — to come from
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. bat — the animal
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. cue — for pool
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. cue — a hint
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. kick — in football
  22. land — to come down
  23. cue — a signal
  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