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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 116 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: straw · patient · stem · nail · mark · track · rush · pitcher

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. rush — hurry
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. track — a path
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. track — to keep track
  10. mark — a trace
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. mark — a grade
  13. stem — to come from
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. track — a song
  24. nail — for a hammer

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