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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. root — the cause
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. root — of a word
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. wake — a trail
  11. clip — to cut
  12. stem — to come from
  13. deal — to handle
  14. fork — in a road
  15. content — happy
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. clip — for paper
  18. content — the amount
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. clip — a video
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. root — of a plant

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