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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · court · firm · patient · safe · stem · degree · field

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. court — of a king
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. firm — a company
  6. firm — steady
  7. field — a subject
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. bark — to shout
  10. court — of law
  11. degree — an amount
  12. firm — decided
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. field — farmland
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. court — for sport
  18. degree — temperature
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. field — for sport
  22. degree — from a university
  23. stem — to come from
  24. stem — of a plant

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