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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 120 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: wake · straw · ruler · patient · stem · lean · stand · track

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. lean — to bend
  3. lean — thin
  4. stand — to bear
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. stem — to come from
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. track — a path
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. track — to keep track
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. wake — a trail
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. track — a song

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