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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: chest · mouse · stem · tube · hand · cell · deal · bark

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. bark — to shout
  3. hand — help
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. tube — the underground
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. tube — a container
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. chest — of your body
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. hand — in cards
  14. cell — a phone
  15. cell — in biology
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. deal — to handle
  18. stem — to come from
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. chest — a box
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. chest — of your body
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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