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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 116 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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. lean — thin
  5. shower — to wash
  6. track — a song
  7. shower — rain
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. lean — to bend
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. craft — boats
  13. stem — to come from
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. cell — in biology
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. craft — a skill
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. track — to keep track
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. track — a path
  24. cell — a phone

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