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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. swing — in golf
  3. shower — to wash
  4. staff — employees
  5. bark — to shout
  6. staff — a stick
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. bank — of a river
  11. stem — to come from
  12. staff — employees
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. bank — for money
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. shower — rain
  19. swing — to play on
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. mark — a grade
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. bank — for money
  24. swing — music

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