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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 116 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: bark · last · stem · key · bay · bear · track · cabinet

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. key — the most important part
  4. last — final
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. last — to go on
  8. bear — the animal
  9. key — in music
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. track — a song
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. bark — to shout
  17. track — to keep track
  18. stem — to come from
  19. track — a path
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. key — for a lock
  23. last — finally
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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