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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: nail · wind · bark · rush · jam · ground · ball · stem

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. ground — the earth
  3. ball — a great time
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. wind — moving air
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. rush — hurry
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. ball — a dance
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. ground — crushed
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. ground — a position
  21. bark — to shout
  22. wind — moving air
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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