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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 · ground · patient · cap · lie · bore · trunk · rule

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. ground — a position
  5. rule — government
  6. lie — to recline
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. ground — the earth
  11. cap — a lid
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. cap — of ice
  17. stem — to come from
  18. ground — crushed
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. bore — to drill
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. rule — a law
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. cap — a hat

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