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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: last · perch · squash · file · stem · bark · stand · racket

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. squash — to crush
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. file — a line of people
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. stand — to bear
  9. stem — to come from
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. last — final
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. squash — the sport
  19. perch — the fish
  20. last — to go on
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. file — a document
  23. bark — to shout
  24. file — a tool

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