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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 116 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: bark · stem · calf · rush · land · file · cell · pound

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. file — a document
  6. land — a country
  7. rush — hurry
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. stem — to come from
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. cell — a phone
  14. file — a tool
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. bark — to shout
  18. cell — in biology
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. pound — a weight
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. land — ground
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. land — to come down

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