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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: stem · calf · wind · mark · bark · march · lie · straw

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. mark — a trace
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. march — the month
  10. wind — moving air
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. wind — moving air
  13. march — the month
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. bark — to shout
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. lie — to recline
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. march — music
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. mark — a grade
  24. stem — to come from

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