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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: bark · firm · deal · spring · land · cap · stem · mark

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. deal — to handle
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. bark — to shout
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. spring — of water
  10. stem — to come from
  11. mark — a trace
  12. land — ground
  13. mark — a grade
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. cap — of ice
  16. cap — a hat
  17. firm — a company
  18. firm — decided
  19. spring — a coil
  20. spring — the season
  21. land — to come down
  22. firm — steady
  23. land — a country
  24. stem — a stem cell

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