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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. shower — to wash
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. object — an aim
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. track — a song
  8. bark — to shout
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. stem — to come from
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. track — to keep track
  13. shower — rain
  14. bat — the animal
  15. land — to come down
  16. rush — hurry
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. object — a thing
  19. land — a country
  20. object — to protest
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. track — a path
  23. land — ground
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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