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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: stem · mate · pitcher · bark · bank · drill · perch · nail

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. mate — to breed
  4. stem — to come from
  5. bank — for money
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. mate — a partner
  8. bark — to shout
  9. perch — the fish
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. drill — army training
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. drill — the tool
  18. drill — a practice
  19. bank — for money
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. bank — of a river
  24. bark — of a tree

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