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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: trunk · stem · bark · wake · hide · craft · degree · bowl

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. craft — a skill
  4. stem — to come from
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. degree — an amount
  14. bark — to shout
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. craft — boats
  21. degree — from a university
  22. degree — temperature
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. wake — a trail

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