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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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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. rock — music
  3. stem — to come from
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. bound — tied together
  7. bound — obliged
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. rock — a stone
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. bound — certain
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. foot — a measure

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