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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: wake · patient · stand · stem · present · bark · net · kid

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. net — in sport
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. present — the time now
  9. wake — a trail
  10. stand — to bear
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. kid — to tease
  13. stem — to come from
  14. bark — to shout
  15. present — a gift
  16. net — for catching
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. present — there
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. net — after costs
  24. kid — child

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