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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. present — a gift
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. band — a ring
  5. band — a music group
  6. present — there
  7. drill — the tool
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. mug — a face
  10. present — the time now
  11. mug — a cup
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. drill — army training
  14. object — to protest
  15. shower — to wash
  16. object — a thing
  17. shower — rain
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. drill — a practice
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. stem — to come from
  23. mug — to rob
  24. object — an aim

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