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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 120 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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. can — to be able to
  7. spring — of water
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. can — a tin
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. branch — a division
  14. spring — a coil
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. can — a tin
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. stem — to come from
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. spring — the season
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. nail — on a finger

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