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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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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: patient · stem · fork · row · court · lie · wind · bear

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. court — of a king
  4. bear — the animal
  5. row — a line
  6. court — of law
  7. court — for sport
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. bear — the animal
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. lie — to recline
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. wind — moving air
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. row — to paddle
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. fork — in a road
  24. stem — to come from

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