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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. last — finally
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. spell — a short time
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. spell — magic
  11. last — to go on
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. shower — to wash
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. spell — letters
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. stem — to come from
  19. last — final
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. shower — rain
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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