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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 116 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 ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. stem — to come from
  3. drill — army training
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bark — to shout
  13. wound — an injury
  14. stock — shares
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. stock — goods
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. wound — an injury
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. drill — the tool
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. drill — a practice

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