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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 120 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: file · fine · patient · stem · cell · lash · pitch · snap

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. fine — high quality
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. file — a tool
  8. pitch — completely
  9. cell — in biology
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. stem — to come from
  12. snap — to click
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. fine — all right
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. file — a line of people
  20. cell — a phone
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. file — a document

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