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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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. chest — of your body
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. board — to get on
  6. chest — a box
  7. shower — to wash
  8. chest — of your body
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. bound — certain
  13. board — a committee
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. craft — boats
  16. craft — a skill
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. bound — tied together
  19. stem — to come from
  20. cell — a phone
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. cell — in biology
  23. shower — rain
  24. bound — obliged

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