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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. spell — magic
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. wax — to grow
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. track — a song
  13. stem — to come from
  14. spell — letters
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. track — a path
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. bark — to shout
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. track — to keep track
  21. bass — low music
  22. bass — the fish
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. spell — a short time

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