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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: foot · saw · bark · rule · stem · fine · clip · jam

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. bark — to shout
  3. fine — high quality
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. clip — for paper
  6. foot — a measure
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. rule — a law
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. saw — the tool
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. clip — a video
  17. clip — to cut
  18. rule — government
  19. fine — all right
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. saw — the tool
  23. stem — to come from
  24. foot — the bottom

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