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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: spring · bark · bowl · lean · rush · stem · root · patient

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. root — of a plant
  7. root — the cause
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. rush — hurry
  11. spring — a coil
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. lean — thin
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. spring — of water
  19. bark — to shout
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. lean — to bend
  22. root — of a word
  23. spring — the season
  24. bowl — a football final

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