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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. net — for catching
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. land — to come down
  9. net — after costs
  10. staff — a stick
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. stand — to bear
  13. staff — employees
  14. bark — to shout
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. net — in sport
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. staff — employees
  20. land — a country
  21. plane — a tool
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. stem — to come from
  24. stem — of a plant

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