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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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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: lean · foot · vault · bark · date · present · swing · stem

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. lean — to bend
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. date — the fruit
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. swing — to play on
  7. bark — to shout
  8. vault — a safe
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. stem — to come from
  13. lean — thin
  14. foot — a measure
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. present — a gift
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. swing — music
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. present — the time now
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. present — there
  24. swing — in golf

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