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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. lean — thin
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. stem — to come from
  5. lean — to bend
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. spring — the season
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. bore — to drill
  11. pitch — completely
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. rush — hurry
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. bore — to tire
  16. craft — boats
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. craft — a skill
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. spring — of water
  23. spring — a coil
  24. bore — gave birth

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