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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. bound — tied together
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. bound — obliged
  8. bound — certain
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. craft — boats
  11. scale — in music
  12. scale — size or range
  13. bark — to shout
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. rush — hurry
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. pass — a permit
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. craft — a skill
  24. craft — a handicraft

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