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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 120 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: foot · bark · row · mine · bank · stem · bear · face

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. row — a line
  5. foot — a measure
  6. row — to paddle
  7. bank — for money
  8. face — to confront
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. bank — for money
  12. stem — to come from
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bank — of a river
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. face — part of the head
  21. mine — for digging
  22. face — to point toward
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. bark — to shout

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