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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 120 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: last · hide · bore · wound · mate · fork · stem · bark

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. mate — to breed
  4. wound — an injury
  5. fork — in a road
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. last — final
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. mate — a friend
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. bore — to drill
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. last — finally
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bark — to shout
  17. stem — to come from
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. bore — to tire
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. last — to go on
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. fork — a garden tool

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