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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 · dip · pit · snap · content · can · stem · drill

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. content — happy
  3. drill — army training
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. dip — to sink
  9. can — to be able to
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. pit — a hole
  13. pit — in a race
  14. content — the amount
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. can — a tin
  19. drill — the tool
  20. can — a tin
  21. drill — a practice
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. stem — to come from
  24. snap — to click

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