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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 124 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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. staff — employees
  4. roll — a list
  5. track — to keep track
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. track — a path
  8. net — for catching
  9. track — a song
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. roll — a cake
  13. bank — for money
  14. staff — a stick
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. net — in sport
  17. bank — of a river
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. bank — for money
  20. net — after costs
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. sharp — clever
  23. bark — to shout
  24. staff — employees

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