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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. club — a group
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. mark — a trace
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. stand — to bear
  8. shower — to wash
  9. face — to confront
  10. mark — a grade
  11. land — to come down
  12. stem — to come from
  13. land — ground
  14. club — for dancing
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. club — for golf
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. face — part of the head
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. land — a country
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. shower — rain
  24. face — to point toward

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