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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. stem — to come from
  3. kid — child
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. bark — to shout
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. kick — in football
  9. saw — the tool
  10. foot — a measure
  11. kid — to tease
  12. tear — from crying
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. tear — to rip
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. tear — from crying
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. saw — the tool
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. branch — a division

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