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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: cold · cue · key · cabinet · bark · leaves · stem · mark

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. mark — a trace
  4. mark — a grade
  5. cold — an illness
  6. key — for a lock
  7. cue — for pool
  8. key — the most important part
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. cue — a hint
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. stem — to come from
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. bark — to shout
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. cue — a signal
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. cold — not warm
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. key — in music

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