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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: spring · stem · rash · track · pitcher · ruler · fall · patient

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. rash — a series
  4. track — a path
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. fall — to drop
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. track — a song
  10. rash — hasty
  11. stem — to come from
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. track — to keep track
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. spring — of water
  21. spring — a coil
  22. fall — to drop
  23. spring — the season
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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