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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: chest · bark · key · field · plane · squash · bore · stem

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. key — for a lock
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. chest — of your body
  7. bore — to drill
  8. squash — the sport
  9. plane — a tool
  10. bore — to tire
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. field — a subject
  14. key — in music
  15. field — for sport
  16. field — farmland
  17. key — the most important part
  18. chest — a box
  19. bark — to shout
  20. chest — of your body
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. squash — to crush
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. plane — an aircraft

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