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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: patient · chair · club · face · date · board · cap · stem

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. club — for golf
  4. face — part of the head
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. chair — a leader
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. cap — a lid
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. stem — to come from
  11. board — to get on
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. face — to point toward
  14. cap — of ice
  15. board — a committee
  16. cap — a hat
  17. club — a group
  18. date — the fruit
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. face — to confront
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. club — for dancing

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