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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.

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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 · present · nail · wind · bark · jam · pit · chair

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. present — the time now
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. present — there
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. wind — moving air
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. pit — a hole
  17. chair — a leader
  18. pit — in a race
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. present — a gift
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. bark — to shout
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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