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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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. snap — to click
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. chair — a leader
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. club — for dancing
  8. hand — help
  9. club — for golf
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. hand — in cards
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. club — a group
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. bark — to shout
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. stem — to come from

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