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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: current · field · mug · prune · wake · bark · stem · cap

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. prune — to trim
  5. current — happening now
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. wake — a trail
  8. field — a subject
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. cap — a hat
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. stem — to come from
  13. current — of water
  14. bark — to shout
  15. mug — a face
  16. mug — a cup
  17. cap — a lid
  18. field — farmland
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. current — electric
  21. cap — of ice
  22. prune — to trim
  23. mug — to rob
  24. field — for sport

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