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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. staff — employees
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. mine — for digging
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. game — wild animals
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. foot — a measure
  12. staff — a stick
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. staff — employees
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. game — a match
  23. stem — to come from
  24. mine — belonging to me

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