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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: race · stem · staff · mark · sharp · pitcher · bark · rule

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. mark — a grade
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. rule — government
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. mark — a trace
  7. race — a contest
  8. staff — employees
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. staff — a stick
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. staff — employees
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. rule — a law
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. race — the arms race
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. race — humankind
  24. sharp — clever

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