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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. clip — to cut
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. clip — a video
  10. clip — for paper
  11. rest — what's left
  12. mug — to rob
  13. bark — to shout
  14. rest — a break
  15. mug — a face
  16. stem — to come from
  17. rest — what's left
  18. track — to keep track
  19. track — a path
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. track — a song
  22. mug — a cup
  23. dip — to sink
  24. trunk — of a tree

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