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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rock · patient · chest · plane · stem · bark · fine · pitch

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. fine — all right
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. stem — to come from
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. plane — a tool
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. pitch — completely
  15. chest — a box
  16. chest — of your body
  17. rock — music
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. bark — to shout
  20. rock — a stone
  21. chest — of your body
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. fine — high quality
  24. patient — a sick person

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