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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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. stand — to bear
  3. tube — a container
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. file — a line of people
  8. spring — the season
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. file — a document
  12. tube — the underground
  13. stem — to come from
  14. spring — of water
  15. file — a tool
  16. mine — for digging
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. cue — a signal
  19. spring — a coil
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. cue — a hint
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. cue — for pool
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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