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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: craft · tear · bark · stem · land · swing

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tear — to rip
  4. land — a country
  5. land — ground
  6. tear — from crying
  7. land — to come down
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. swing — to play on
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. craft — boats
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. swing — music
  16. bark — to shout
  17. craft — a skill
  18. stem — to come from

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