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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: land · ruler · patient · cue · trunk · spring · stem · wake

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. land — a country
  5. wake — a trail
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. cue — a hint
  9. land — to come down
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. cue — for pool
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. cue — a signal
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. spring — a coil
  18. land — ground
  19. spring — of water
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. spring — the season
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. ruler — for measuring

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