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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 120 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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. bark — to shout
  3. prune — to trim
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. field — a subject
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. field — farmland
  8. suit — clothes
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. wind — moving air
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. suit — in cards
  13. wind — moving air
  14. prune — to trim
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. field — for sport
  19. wake — a trail
  20. stem — to come from
  21. suit — to fit
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. calf — a young animal

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