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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 120 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 · nail · saw · temple · ball · current · land · bark

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. ball — a great time
  3. bark — to shout
  4. land — ground
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. saw — the tool
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. ball — a dance
  12. current — electric
  13. saw — the tool
  14. current — of water
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. land — a country
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. stem — to come from
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. current — happening now
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. temple — side of the head

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