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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: fork · patient · stem · cabinet · rule · game · toast · file

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. game — a match
  3. file — a line of people
  4. stem — to come from
  5. toast — bread
  6. rule — a law
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. file — a document
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. fork — in a road
  13. rule — government
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. file — a tool
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. game — wild animals
  24. cabinet — ministers

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