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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 120 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: bulb · patient · content · stem · degree · arm · bear · stick

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. content — the amount
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. stem — to come from
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. bear — the animal
  11. degree — from a university
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. bear — the animal
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. degree — temperature
  19. degree — an amount
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. bulb — for light
  22. content — happy
  23. bulb — for light
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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