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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. pit — a hole
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. hand — help
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. hand — in cards
  13. perch — the fish
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. stem — to come from
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. pit — in a race
  20. scale — in music
  21. scale — size or range
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. pitcher — a jug

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