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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. stem — to come from
  3. capital — money
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. tear — from crying
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. current — happening now
  8. land — a country
  9. bark — to shout
  10. capital — a city
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. current — electric
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. board — a committee
  15. tear — from crying
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. current — of water
  21. land — to come down
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. board — to get on
  24. land — ground

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