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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. bark — to shout
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. foot — a measure
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. toast — bread
  11. cell — a phone
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. bear — the animal
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. bear — the animal
  21. stem — to come from
  22. sharp — clever
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. cell — in biology

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