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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 116 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: root · march · bark · plane · tube · season · mate · stem

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. march — the month
  3. season — of the year
  4. mate — to breed
  5. root — of a word
  6. plane — a tool
  7. root — of a plant
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. season — in sport
  10. mate — a partner
  11. march — the month
  12. stem — to come from
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. march — music
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. bark — to shout
  20. tube — the underground
  21. root — the cause
  22. mate — a friend
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. tube — a container

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