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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: wake · patient · coach · foot · stem · present · game · snap

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. present — the time now
  4. game — wild animals
  5. game — a match
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. present — a gift
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. foot — a measure
  15. wake — a trail
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. present — there
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. snap — to click
  22. stem — to come from
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. coach — a trainer

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