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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.

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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: stem · spring · patient · lean · court · bulb · bear · branch

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. spring — a coil
  3. lean — thin
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. court — for sport
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. lean — to bend
  9. court — of law
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. spring — the season
  13. court — of a king
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bulb — for light
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. bear — the animal
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. branch — a division
  21. spring — of water
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. bulb — for light
  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