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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. fine — high quality
  4. wound — an injury
  5. bark — to shout
  6. present — there
  7. staff — a stick
  8. track — a song
  9. staff — employees
  10. track — a path
  11. stock — goods
  12. present — the time now
  13. present — a gift
  14. wound — an injury
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. stem — to come from
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. fine — all right
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. staff — employees
  21. stock — shares
  22. track — to keep track
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. bark — of a tree

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