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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. court — of law
  3. land — a country
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. land — ground
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. court — for sport
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. fall — to drop
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. court — of a king
  17. wax — to grow
  18. fall — the season
  19. bark — to shout
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. stem — to come from
  23. land — to come down
  24. fall — to drop

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