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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: stem · land · trunk · hide · rest · branch · mark · patient

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. land — to come down
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. rest — a break
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. land — a country
  9. branch — a division
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. land — ground
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. rest — what's left
  15. mark — a grade
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. rest — what's left
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. mark — a trace
  24. hide — animal skin

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