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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. cell — a phone
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. stem — to come from
  5. cell — in biology
  6. row — a line
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. row — to paddle
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. fall — to drop
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. fall — to drop
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. fall — the season
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. fork — in a road
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. pass — a permit
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. trunk — of a car

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