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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. pop — soda
  4. saw — the tool
  5. stem — to come from
  6. bark — to shout
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. pop — to visit
  10. field — a subject
  11. bulb — for light
  12. saw — the tool
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. pop — music
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. sharp — clever
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. field — for sport
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. bulb — for light
  22. field — farmland
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. lash — an eyelash

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