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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
468
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: track · present · spring · bark · rush · wax · patient · leaves

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. track — to keep track
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. present — a gift
  7. spring — a coil
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. track — a path
  11. rush — hurry
  12. wax — to grow
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. present — there
  19. spring — the season
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. present — the time now
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. track — a song
  24. bark — to shout

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