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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. lie — to recline
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. net — in sport
  7. branch — a division
  8. spring — the season
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. net — after costs
  12. ground — the earth
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. ground — a position
  17. ground — crushed
  18. spring — a coil
  19. spring — of water
  20. bark — to shout
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. stem — to come from
  23. net — for catching
  24. lie — an untruth

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