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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: leaves · lie · cold · saw · jam · bark · stem · field

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. bark — to shout
  4. saw — the tool
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. cold — an illness
  7. saw — the tool
  8. field — farmland
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. stem — to come from
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. cold — not warm
  19. lie — to recline
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. field — for sport
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. field — a subject

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