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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.

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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: cabinet · snap · stem · last · stand · content · wake · bark

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. last — to go on
  4. stand — to bear
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. snap — to click
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. wake — a trail
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. content — the amount
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. content — happy
  17. stem — to come from
  18. last — finally
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. last — final
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. bark — to shout

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