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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: fine · squash · spring · leaves · bark · stem · tear · rush

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. tear — from crying
  5. spring — a coil
  6. stem — to come from
  7. squash — the sport
  8. bark — to shout
  9. rush — hurry
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. tear — from crying
  14. squash — to crush
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. spring — the season
  19. fine — all right
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. spring — of water
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. tear — to rip
  24. fine — high quality

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