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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: bark · fall · fork · shower · field · bulb · stem · mouse

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. fork — in a road
  3. field — a subject
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. bulb — for light
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. shower — rain
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. bark — to shout
  13. shower — to wash
  14. fall — to drop
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. fall — to drop
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. stem — to come from
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. field — farmland
  22. fall — the season
  23. field — for sport
  24. bulb — for light

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