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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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. bark — to shout
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. pit — a hole
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. root — of a word
  13. pit — in a race
  14. drill — a practice
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. drill — army training
  17. root — of a plant
  18. lean — to bend
  19. drill — the tool
  20. lean — thin
  21. stem — to come from
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. root — the cause
  24. stem — a stem cell

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