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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: lean · capital · mark · bark · nail · key · stem · tear

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. lean — thin
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. tear — from crying
  8. capital — money
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. lean — to bend
  14. key — the most important part
  15. tear — to rip
  16. key — in music
  17. stem — to come from
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. key — for a lock
  21. bark — to shout
  22. mark — a grade
  23. capital — a city
  24. mark — a trace

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