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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: chip · tube · saw · capital · stem · patient · wake · bark

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. chip — to eat
  5. capital — money
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. tube — the underground
  8. chip — for betting
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. bark — to shout
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. tube — a container
  14. wake — a trail
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. saw — the tool
  21. stem — to come from
  22. saw — the tool
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. capital — a city

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