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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. stem — to come from
  6. bulb — for light
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. last — to go on
  10. band — a music group
  11. bulb — for light
  12. band — a ring
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. last — finally
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. last — final
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. pitcher — a jug

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