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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. stem — to come from
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. bound — certain
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. ground — a position
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. spell — a short time
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. spell — magic
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. ground — crushed
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. bound — tied together
  19. rush — hurry
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. spell — letters
  22. bound — obliged
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. ground — the earth

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