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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  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. rock — to move gently
  2. root — the cause
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. last — to go on
  5. root — of a word
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. mark — a grade
  8. last — final
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. mug — a face
  13. last — finally
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. mark — a trace
  16. rock — music
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. bark — to shout
  19. stem — to come from
  20. mug — to rob
  21. rock — a stone
  22. mug — a cup
  23. root — of a plant
  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