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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. content — the amount
  4. stem — to come from
  5. spring — the season
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. vault — a safe
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. chest — of your body
  10. spring — a coil
  11. cue — a hint
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. spring — of water
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. chest — a box
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. plane — a tool
  19. content — happy
  20. chest — of your body
  21. cue — a signal
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. cue — for pool

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