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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. net — for catching
  3. spell — magic
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. current — happening now
  7. hand — help
  8. spell — a short time
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. net — in sport
  11. current — of water
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. spell — letters
  16. prune — to trim
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. current — electric
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. hand — in cards
  21. net — after costs
  22. stem — to come from
  23. prune — to trim
  24. vault — a safe

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