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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  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. stem — to come from
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. rock — music
  4. land — to come down
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. land — ground
  7. tube — a container
  8. rock — a stone
  9. face — to point toward
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. branch — a division
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. land — a country
  15. face — part of the head
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. tube — the underground
  18. hand — help
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. hand — in cards
  21. face — to confront
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. rock — to move gently
  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