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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: roll · patient · lean · bore · mine · can · stem · cell

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  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. roll — a cake
  2. mine — for digging
  3. bore — to tire
  4. can — a tin
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. can — to be able to
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. lean — thin
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. can — a tin
  13. stem — to come from
  14. cell — in biology
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. cell — a phone
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. roll — a list
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. bore — to drill
  22. lean — to bend
  23. mine — an explosive
  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