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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: bore · spell · pitcher · firm · bark · rash · season · stem

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. firm — a company
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. rash — hasty
  7. rash — a series
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. bore — to tire
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. bore — to drill
  12. firm — steady
  13. season — of the year
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. bark — to shout
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. spell — letters
  18. firm — decided
  19. spell — a short time
  20. spell — magic
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. stem — to come from
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. season — in sport

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