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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: tear · stem · saw · pass · track · patient · spring · mug

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. track — a song
  4. tear — from crying
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. track — a path
  7. spring — a coil
  8. mug — a face
  9. pass — a permit
  10. mug — to rob
  11. stem — to come from
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. spring — of water
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. saw — the tool
  17. mug — a cup
  18. saw — the tool
  19. spring — the season
  20. tear — from crying
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. tear — to rip
  24. pass — to succeed

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