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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 120 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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. stand — to bear
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. stem — to come from
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. cold — an illness
  15. row — a line
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. chip — for betting
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. row — to paddle
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. cold — not warm
  22. deal — to handle
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. chip — to eat

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