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

Word bank: lash · stick · mug · file · bark · stem · cell · rest

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. mug — a face
  3. rest — what's left
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. file — a tool
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. rest — a break
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. mug — to rob
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. file — a document
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. file — a line of people
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. cell — a phone
  18. cell — in biology
  19. rest — what's left
  20. stem — to come from
  21. mug — a cup
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. bark — to shout
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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