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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. rash — hasty
  9. rash — a series
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. field — farmland
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. field — a subject
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. field — for sport
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. stem — to come from
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. mouse — the animal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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