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

Word bank: rest · stem · patient · trunk · race · snap

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. rest — what's left
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. race — humankind
  6. stem — to come from
  7. race — the arms race
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. race — a contest
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. rest — a break
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. rest — what's left

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