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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. bark — to shout
  4. rock — a stone
  5. drill — a practice
  6. rock — music
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. stem — to come from
  9. drill — the tool
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. ground — crushed
  12. ground — a position
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. ground — the earth
  20. drill — army training
  21. mine — for digging
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. bark — of a tree

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