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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've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. club — for dancing
  3. stock — shares
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. club — for golf
  10. stem — to come from
  11. tear — to rip
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. tear — from crying
  14. club — a group
  15. tear — from crying
  16. stock — goods
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. spring — a coil
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. spring — of water
  22. spring — the season
  23. pass — a permit
  24. stock — a soup base

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