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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: plane · stem · bark · fork · tear · file · bore · band

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. bore — to drill
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. file — a line of people
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. stem — to come from
  9. fork — in a road
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. bore — to tire
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. tear — to rip
  15. plane — a tool
  16. tear — from crying
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. file — a document
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. band — a ring
  21. band — a music group
  22. file — a tool
  23. bark — to shout
  24. fork — to eat with

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