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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: mark · patient · craft · arm · drill · rush · chest · stem

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. stem — to come from
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. mark — a trace
  6. chest — of your body
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. chest — a box
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. drill — army training
  13. drill — the tool
  14. mark — a grade
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. rush — hurry
  17. chest — of your body
  18. craft — a skill
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. craft — boats
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. drill — a practice

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