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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: lie · patient · court · fall · chip · bore · stem · bark

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. chip — for betting
  3. bark — to shout
  4. court — of law
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. stem — to come from
  10. bore — to tire
  11. chip — to eat
  12. court — of a king
  13. court — for sport
  14. bore — to drill
  15. fall — to drop
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. fall — the season
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. fall — to drop
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. lie — to recline

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