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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 · march · stem · mine · patient · cue · wind · bear

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. wind — moving air
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. bark — to shout
  8. bear — the animal
  9. march — the month
  10. cue — a hint
  11. march — music
  12. stem — to come from
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. mine — for digging
  16. bear — the animal
  17. cue — for pool
  18. march — the month
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. cue — a signal
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. wind — moving air

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