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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: bark · hide · patient · capital · stick · coach · stem · squash

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  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. coach — a trainer
  2. stem — to come from
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bark — to shout
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. squash — the sport
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. capital — a city
  19. capital — money
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. squash — to crush
  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