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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cabinet · bark · rush · date · stem · bowl · swing · bay

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. swing — music
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. date — the fruit
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. stem — to come from
  12. swing — to play on
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. rush — hurry
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. swing — in golf
  23. bark — to shout
  24. bowl — a football final

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