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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. cap — a hat
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. snap — to click
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. cap — of ice
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. mug — a face
  11. foot — a measure
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. mug — a cup
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. dip — to sink
  17. season — of the year
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. mug — to rob
  21. cap — a lid
  22. season — in sport
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. dip — to dunk

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