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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: stem · bark · cold · net · lash · safe · pound · chair

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. stem — to come from
  9. net — for catching
  10. pound — a weight
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. cold — not warm
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. net — in sport
  16. net — after costs
  17. chair — a leader
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. cold — an illness
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. cold — the Cold War

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