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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: stem · stand · pass · wind · patient · cap · lie · clip

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. stand — to bear
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. cap — a lid
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. cap — a hat
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. wind — moving air
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. lie — to recline
  11. clip — a video
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. stem — to come from
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. pass — a permit
  18. wind — moving air
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. clip — to cut
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. cap — of ice
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. clip — for paper

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