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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. face — to point toward
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. last — final
  6. last — to go on
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. last — finally
  10. craft — boats
  11. bark — to shout
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. bat — the animal
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. face — part of the head
  18. current — electric
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. current — happening now
  21. craft — a skill
  22. current — of water
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. face — to confront

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