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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. stock — goods
  4. content — happy
  5. key — the most important part
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. stock — shares
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. stem — to come from
  14. key — for a lock
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. prune — to trim
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. key — in music
  20. prune — to trim
  21. sharp — clever
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. content — the amount

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