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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: land · stem · bark · wound · nail · content · stick · date

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. content — happy
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. date — the fruit
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. land — to come down
  16. wound — an injury
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. land — a country
  20. land — ground
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. content — the amount
  23. wound — an injury
  24. stem — to come from

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