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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: mark · bark · rest · ball · rush · wake · kid · stem

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. kid — child
  3. kid — to tease
  4. mark — a trace
  5. stem — to come from
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. ball — a dance
  10. rest — a break
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. rest — what's left
  14. bark — to shout
  15. wake — a trail
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. ball — a great time
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. mark — a grade
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rush — hurry

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