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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: foot · snap · roll · leaves · bark · mouse · stem · drill

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. snap — to click
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. roll — a cake
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. drill — a practice
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. roll — a list
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. bark — to shout
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. stem — to come from
  14. drill — the tool
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. drill — army training
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. leaves — of a tree

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