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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 120 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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. tear — from crying
  3. key — for a lock
  4. current — electric
  5. stem — to come from
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. key — in music
  8. spring — a coil
  9. bark — to shout
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. current — happening now
  13. spring — of water
  14. tear — from crying
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. craft — a skill
  17. tear — to rip
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. spring — the season
  20. key — the most important part
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. plane — a tool
  23. craft — boats
  24. current — of water

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