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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 · wave · wound · spring · dip · stem · face · cue

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. wound — an injury
  6. cue — for pool
  7. face — to confront
  8. dip — to sink
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. wound — an injury
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. spring — of water
  15. face — part of the head
  16. bark — to shout
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. stem — to come from
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. cue — a signal
  22. spring — a coil
  23. face — to point toward
  24. cue — a hint

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