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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: spring · stem · lash · kid · game · fork · leaves · bark

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. kid — to tease
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. fork — in a road
  7. game — wild animals
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. bark — to shout
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. spring — a coil
  14. spring — of water
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. stem — to come from
  18. spring — the season
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. game — a match
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. kid — child
  24. leaves — lets stay

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