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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. stem — to come from
  3. bark — to shout
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. last — final
  10. last — finally
  11. pop — music
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. pass — a permit
  15. pop — to visit
  16. last — to go on
  17. pop — soda
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. bank — of a river
  21. bank — for money
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. bank — for money
  24. bark — 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