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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. stem — to come from
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. squash — the sport
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. foot — a measure
  8. spring — a coil
  9. spring — of water
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. mark — a grade
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. squash — to crush
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. bark — to shout
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. spring — the season
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. perch — the fish
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. mark — a trace

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