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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. stem — to come from
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. court — for sport
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. court — of law
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. court — of a king
  11. plane — a tool
  12. saw — the tool
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. cell — in biology
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. sharp — clever
  20. cell — a phone
  21. foot — a measure
  22. saw — the tool
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. sharp — with an edge

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