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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. last — final
  3. stem — to come from
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. last — finally
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. squash — the sport
  11. mug — a cup
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. swing — music
  14. squash — to crush
  15. swing — to play on
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. last — to go on
  19. mug — a face
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. mug — to rob
  22. swing — in golf
  23. pound — a weight
  24. pound — to hit hard

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