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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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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: stem · pass · mark · tube · patient · fork · racket · mine

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. tube — the underground
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. stem — to come from
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. mark — a grade
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. fork — in a road
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. pass — a permit
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. mark — a trace
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. mine — for digging
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. tube — a container
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. tube — in a tire

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