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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
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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: patient · straw · march · prune · stem · court · wake · shower

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  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. march — the month
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. shower — to wash
  4. prune — to trim
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. prune — to trim
  9. march — music
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. march — the month
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. shower — rain
  14. stem — to come from
  15. court — of law
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. court — of a king
  18. court — for sport
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. wake — a trail
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. patient — a sick person
  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