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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. cap — a hat
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. march — music
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. march — the month
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. ball — a dance
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. cap — a lid
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. sharp — clever
  19. cap — of ice
  20. march — the month
  21. stem — to come from
  22. ball — a great time
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. rock — a stone

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