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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.

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: ball · present · kick · march · hand · stem · bark · mouse

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. hand — help
  6. present — a gift
  7. ball — a dance
  8. hand — in cards
  9. ball — a great time
  10. bark — to shout
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. march — music
  13. stem — to come from
  14. present — there
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. kick — in football
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. march — the month
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. present — the time now
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. march — the month

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