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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: stem · degree · bark · roll · nail · racket · mug · spring

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. stem — to come from
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. degree — from a university
  7. mug — a cup
  8. spring — a coil
  9. spring — of water
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. bark — to shout
  12. mug — to rob
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. degree — an amount
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. spring — the season
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. degree — temperature
  20. roll — a list
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. roll — a cake
  23. mug — a face
  24. racket — for tennis

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