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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bulb · race · file · bark · patient · stem · object · spell

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. object — a thing
  3. stem — to come from
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. spell — magic
  6. file — a line of people
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. spell — a short time
  9. race — humankind
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. file — a tool
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. bark — to shout
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. spell — letters
  16. race — a contest
  17. file — a document
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. bulb — for light
  21. object — an aim
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. object — to protest
  24. bulb — for light

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