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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: cap · bat · hide · club · present · stem · foot · bark

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. cap — a lid
  3. bark — to shout
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. stem — to come from
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. present — the time now
  10. present — there
  11. club — for golf
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. bat — the animal
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. cap — of ice
  19. foot — a measure
  20. cap — a hat
  21. club — for dancing
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. club — a group

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