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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: cabinet · bark · toast · clip · shower · rock · trunk · stem

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. shower — rain
  4. bark — to shout
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. clip — to cut
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. rock — music
  12. toast — bread
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. clip — a video
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. clip — for paper
  19. rock — a stone
  20. stem — to come from
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. shower — to wash
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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