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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. content — happy
  4. file — a line of people
  5. content — the amount
  6. file — a document
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. fine — high quality
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. game — a match
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. can — to be able to
  17. fine — all right
  18. stem — to come from
  19. file — a tool
  20. can — a tin
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. sharp — clever
  23. game — wild animals
  24. can — a tin

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