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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. band — a ring
  4. stem — to come from
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. bear — the animal
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. mine — for digging
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. degree — an amount
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. plane — a tool
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. degree — temperature
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. degree — from a university
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. band — a music group
  24. mouse — the animal

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