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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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. stem — to come from
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. march — music
  6. squash — the sport
  7. file — a tool
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. file — a document
  13. march — the month
  14. perch — the fish
  15. squash — to crush
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. march — the month
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. file — a line of people
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. wake — a trail
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. stem — a stem cell

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