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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: bark · stick · wound · stem · perch · bear · lash · object

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. wound — an injury
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. bark — to shout
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. object — an aim
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. wound — an injury
  13. perch — the fish
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. bear — the animal
  19. object — to protest
  20. bear — the animal
  21. object — a thing
  22. stem — to come from
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. perch — for a bird

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