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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: mate · stem · stock · root · bark · tube · file · plane

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. stock — goods
  5. tube — a container
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. bark — to shout
  8. plane — a tool
  9. mate — a partner
  10. root — the cause
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. file — a tool
  13. tube — the underground
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. root — of a plant
  16. stem — to come from
  17. file — a document
  18. stock — shares
  19. mate — to breed
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. root — of a word
  22. file — a line of people
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. mate — a friend

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