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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 116 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: stem · bark · trunk · club · rash · racket · cell · net

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. club — for dancing
  3. stem — to come from
  4. rash — hasty
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. rash — a series
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. club — a group
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. net — in sport
  17. cell — in biology
  18. net — for catching
  19. net — after costs
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. cell — a phone
  22. club — for golf
  23. bark — to shout
  24. stem — a stem cell

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