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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. last — final
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. staff — a stick
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. spring — a coil
  9. bark — to shout
  10. stem — to come from
  11. spring — of water
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. mate — to breed
  15. foot — a measure
  16. spring — the season
  17. last — to go on
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. staff — employees
  20. last — finally
  21. mate — a friend
  22. staff — employees
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. mate — a partner

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