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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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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: cabinet · dip · mate · stick · stem · bark · wake · pound

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. dip — to sink
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. mate — a partner
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. stem — to come from
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. bark — to shout
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. wake — a trail
  19. mate — to breed
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. pound — a weight
  22. mate — a friend
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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