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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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. wake — a trail
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. last — to go on
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. ball — a great time
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. last — final
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. ball — a dance
  13. cap — a lid
  14. stem — to come from
  15. cap — of ice
  16. cap — a hat
  17. last — finally
  18. tube — the underground
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. tube — a container
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. trunk — of a car

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