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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 · bark · wound · mouse · pop · arm · lean · rush

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. stem — to come from
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. lean — thin
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. lean — to bend
  12. pop — soda
  13. rush — hurry
  14. bark — to shout
  15. wound — an injury
  16. pop — to visit
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. wound — an injury
  24. arm — part of the body

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