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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: date · bark · straw · mug · ground · stem · can · wound

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. wound — an injury
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. can — a tin
  7. ground — crushed
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. date — the fruit
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. can — a tin
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. can — to be able to
  15. mug — a cup
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. stem — to come from
  18. mug — to rob
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. mug — a face
  21. ground — a position
  22. ground — the earth
  23. bark — to shout
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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