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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: ground · leaves · bark · game · ruler · net · stem · mug

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. ground — a position
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. mug — to rob
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. game — a match
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. mug — a face
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. stem — to come from
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. net — for catching
  17. net — in sport
  18. bark — to shout
  19. game — wild animals
  20. mug — a cup
  21. ground — the earth
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. net — after costs
  24. ground — crushed

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