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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. hand — help
  4. hand — in cards
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. bark — to shout
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. net — in sport
  10. net — for catching
  11. cap — of ice
  12. cap — a lid
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. mine — for digging
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. net — after costs
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. stem — to come from
  24. cap — a hat

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