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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: saw · rush · stem · suit · spring · bark · foot · row

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. bark — to shout
  3. spring — of water
  4. row — to paddle
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. suit — clothes
  7. suit — in cards
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. stem — to come from
  12. saw — the tool
  13. spring — a coil
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. suit — to fit
  17. row — a line
  18. foot — a measure
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. spring — the season
  24. rush — a thrill

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