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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. bank — of a river
  3. perch — the fish
  4. bark — to shout
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. track — a song
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. track — a path
  14. stem — to come from
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. deal — to handle
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. bank — for money
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. track — to keep track
  24. bank — for money

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