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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. key — in music
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. wound — an injury
  8. tube — the underground
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. key — for a lock
  11. bark — to shout
  12. wake — a trail
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. kick — in football
  15. rock — a stone
  16. stem — to come from
  17. key — the most important part
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. tube — a container
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. wound — an injury
  24. rock — music

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