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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. swing — in golf
  3. present — a gift
  4. bark — to shout
  5. swing — music
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. present — the time now
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. swing — to play on
  19. wake — a trail
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. sharp — clever
  24. present — there

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