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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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Word bank
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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: stem · net · bark · patient · scale · rush · capital · deal

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. bark — to shout
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. net — after costs
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. scale — size or range
  14. capital — a city
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. rush — hurry
  18. stem — to come from
  19. net — for catching
  20. scale — in music
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. net — in sport
  23. capital — money
  24. stem — of a plant

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