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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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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: stem · lie · cap · fork · bark · chest · land · last

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. cap — a lid
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. cap — of ice
  6. chest — of your body
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. bark — to shout
  9. land — ground
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. last — to go on
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. fork — in a road
  14. last — finally
  15. lie — to recline
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. chest — of your body
  20. last — final
  21. land — a country
  22. stem — to come from
  23. cap — a hat
  24. land — to come down

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