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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 · snap · stem · band · root · hide · sharp · bound

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. snap — to click
  3. root — the cause
  4. sharp — clever
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. band — a ring
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. root — of a plant
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. root — of a word
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bark — to shout
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. bound — tied together
  20. band — a music group
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. stem — to come from
  23. bound — certain
  24. stem — of a plant

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