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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. fall — to drop
  3. stem — to come from
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. deal — to handle
  9. fall — the season
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. pass — a permit
  14. fall — to drop
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. deal — a big deal

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