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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. stem — to come from
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. lie — to recline
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. staff — a stick
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. snap — to click
  17. season — in sport
  18. staff — employees
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. staff — employees
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. season — of the year
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. fork — in a road

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