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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. track — a path
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. track — to keep track
  6. rash — hasty
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. lean — thin
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. rash — a series
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. bark — to shout
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. track — a song
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. wax — to grow
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. lean — to bend
  24. wax — in the ear

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