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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: patient · wound · snap · staff · sharp · stem · bulb · trunk

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. staff — employees
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. sharp — clever
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. staff — a stick
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bulb — for light
  9. snap — to click
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. wound — an injury
  15. staff — employees
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. bulb — for light
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. stem — to come from
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. patient — a sick person

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