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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  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. stem — a stem cell
  3. object — to protest
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. bat — the animal
  7. object — a thing
  8. land — ground
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bark — to shout
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. object — an aim
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. land — to come down
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. branch — a division
  20. land — a country
  21. stem — to come from
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. bat — in an idiom
  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