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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. saw — the tool
  4. present — there
  5. present — a gift
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. can — a tin
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. foot — a measure
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. present — the time now
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. saw — the tool
  18. can — a tin
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. bark — to shout
  23. can — to be able to
  24. foot — the bottom

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