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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. rock — music
  3. stem — to come from
  4. saw — the tool
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. rock — a stone
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. scale — in music
  13. cell — in biology
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. saw — the tool
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. row — to paddle
  20. cell — a phone
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. row — a line
  24. scale — size or range

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