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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
468
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: snap · patient · stem · mate · cabinet · stock · land · mine

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. land — ground
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. land — a country
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. stock — shares
  9. mate — a partner
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. stock — goods
  13. mine — for digging
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. stem — to come from
  17. snap — to click
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. mate — to breed
  21. mate — a friend
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. land — to come down

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