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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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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: swing · stem · craft · land · bark · game

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

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

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