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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. wound — an injury
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. land — ground
  5. bear — the animal
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. land — a country
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. bear — the animal
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. wound — an injury
  16. rock — music
  17. land — to come down
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — to trim
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. rock — a stone
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. stem — to come from
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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