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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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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: tear · cell · bass · deal · wake · bark · trunk · stem

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. stem — to come from
  8. bark — to shout
  9. deal — to handle
  10. bass — low music
  11. tear — from crying
  12. cell — a phone
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. cell — in biology
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. tear — from crying
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. bass — the fish
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. wake — a trail
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. deal — an agreement

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