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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 120 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
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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: trunk · current · stand · snap · stem · bark · wound · field

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. bark — to shout
  5. field — farmland
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. current — of water
  10. current — electric
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. wound — an injury
  15. current — happening now
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. field — for sport
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. snap — to click
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. stand — to bear
  24. field — a subject

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