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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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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 · temple · current · plane · snap · ground · bark · cold

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. ground — a position
  6. cold — an illness
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. ground — the earth
  9. plane — a tool
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. cold — not warm
  12. current — electric
  13. current — happening now
  14. bark — to shout
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. current — of water
  18. ground — crushed
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. stem — to come from
  21. snap — to click
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. temple — a place of worship

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