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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. stem — to come from
  3. drill — a practice
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. bank — of a river
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. bank — for money
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. mate — a partner
  12. drill — the tool
  13. drill — army training
  14. mate — to breed
  15. mate — a friend
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. stock — shares
  18. stock — goods
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. mine — for digging
  22. bank — for money
  23. bark — to shout
  24. stock — a soup base

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