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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 116 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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. bark — to shout
  3. spring — of water
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. bank — for money
  6. bat — the animal
  7. spring — the season
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. bound — tied together
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. bound — obliged
  13. stem — to come from
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. plane — a tool
  17. bank — for money
  18. bound — certain
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. spring — a coil
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. stem — a stem cell

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