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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 116 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 · fine · bat · stem · track · rule · land · bound

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. bound — certain
  3. land — ground
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. rule — a law
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. bound — tied together
  11. track — a song
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. track — to keep track
  14. land — to come down
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. fine — high quality
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bound — obliged
  19. track — a path
  20. stem — to come from
  21. fine — all right
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. rule — government

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