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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 · wake · bowl · patient · nail · stand · spell · lean

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. wake — a trail
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. stem — to come from
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. lean — thin
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. lean — to bend
  17. spell — a short time
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. stand — to bear
  20. spell — letters
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. spell — magic

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