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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: stem · bark · present · court · lash · lean · ground · row

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. court — for sport
  3. ground — the earth
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. ground — crushed
  7. stem — to come from
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. row — a line
  12. present — the time now
  13. present — there
  14. ground — a position
  15. court — of a king
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. lean — to bend
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. bark — to shout
  21. lean — thin
  22. court — of law
  23. row — to paddle
  24. present — a gift

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