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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. bank — for money
  3. stem — to come from
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. track — a path
  6. bank — of a river
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. bank — for money
  12. lie — to recline
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. mine — for digging
  18. track — a song
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. track — to keep track
  22. chair — a leader
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. stem — of a plant

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