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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. track — a path
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. file — a line of people
  7. stem — to come from
  8. plane — a tool
  9. bound — certain
  10. track — a song
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. bore — to tire
  13. track — to keep track
  14. bound — tied together
  15. file — a document
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. bound — obliged
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. file — a tool
  24. bore — to drill

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