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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: track · can · cold · stem · bark · hand · craft · lean

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. stem — to come from
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. cold — an illness
  5. can — a tin
  6. craft — boats
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. bark — to shout
  11. can — to be able to
  12. hand — in cards
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. can — a tin
  15. lean — thin
  16. track — to keep track
  17. hand — help
  18. track — a song
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. track — a path
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. cold — not warm
  23. lean — to bend
  24. craft — a skill

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