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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. rule — a law
  4. stem — to come from
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. bark — to shout
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. last — finally
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. last — final
  16. rule — government
  17. dip — to sink
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. last — to go on
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. hide — to keep secret

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