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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 120 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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. stem — to come from
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. bass — the fish
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. scale — size or range
  13. pass — a permit
  14. bass — low music
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. craft — boats
  17. bark — to shout
  18. pop — music
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. scale — in music
  22. craft — a skill
  23. pop — to visit
  24. pass — to succeed

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