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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: spring · stem · ball · patient · toast · wake · bark · hand

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. spring — the season
  3. stem — to come from
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. toast — bread
  6. ball — a dance
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. spring — a coil
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. spring — of water
  18. hand — help
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. wake — a trail
  22. bark — to shout
  23. ball — a great time
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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