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

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  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 — to come from
  2. rush — hurry
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bore — to tire
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. dip — to sink
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. bore — to drill
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bark — to shout
  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