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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. cap — a lid
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. net — for catching
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — an injury
  9. net — in sport
  10. craft — a skill
  11. cap — of ice
  12. spring — of water
  13. net — after costs
  14. spring — a coil
  15. season — in sport
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. season — of the year
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. stem — to come from
  21. cap — a hat
  22. spring — the season
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. craft — boats

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