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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: wound · rash · stem · patient · branch · race · hand · foot

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. stem — to come from
  4. rash — hasty
  5. hand — help
  6. hand — in cards
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. race — the arms race
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. race — a contest
  13. race — humankind
  14. rash — a series
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. foot — a measure
  18. branch — a division
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. wound — an injury
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. wound — an injury
  24. patient — a sick person

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