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

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. drill — army training
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. file — a document
  7. net — in sport
  8. file — a line of people
  9. stem — to come from
  10. net — for catching
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. drill — the tool
  14. file — a tool
  15. dip — to sink
  16. drill — a practice
  17. net — after costs
  18. stem — a stem cell

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