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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: land · stem · lie · tube · patient · foot · race · dip

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  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. dip — a sauce
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. tube — a container
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. tube — the underground
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. foot — a measure
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. land — to come down
  14. land — ground
  15. race — humankind
  16. lie — to recline
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. land — a country
  20. race — a contest
  21. stem — to come from
  22. race — the arms race
  23. dip — to sink
  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