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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: saw · stem · fork · lie · bark · stick · lean · cap

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. stem — to come from
  6. lean — to bend
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. saw — the tool
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. lie — to recline
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. bark — to shout
  18. cap — of ice
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. lean — thin
  21. fork — in a road
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. saw — the tool
  24. cap — a lid

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