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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: leaves · stem · tube · hand · nail · bark · last · fine

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. last — to go on
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. bark — to shout
  7. fine — all right
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. hand — help
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. stem — to come from
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. fine — high quality
  16. tube — the underground
  17. last — finally
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. hand — in cards
  22. last — final
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. stem — of a plant

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