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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. file — a tool
  8. stem — to come from
  9. swing — in golf
  10. board — to get on
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. swing — to play on
  13. wax — to grow
  14. board — a committee
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. file — a document
  19. date — the fruit
  20. swing — music
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. file — a line of people

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