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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. march — the month
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. fork — in a road
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. march — music
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. wake — a trail
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. bark — to shout
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. snap — to click
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. march — the month
  24. pass — a permit

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