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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: cabinet · mouse · kid · fork · stem · march · rash · bark

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. march — the month
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. kid — child
  5. rash — hasty
  6. bark — to shout
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. march — the month
  13. stem — to come from
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. kid — to tease
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. fork — in a road
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. march — music
  22. rash — a series
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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