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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. stand — to bear
  4. stem — to come from
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. object — to protest
  9. object — a thing
  10. clip — a video
  11. ball — a great time
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. clip — to cut
  14. clip — for paper
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. object — an aim
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. lie — to recline
  22. ball — a dance
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. trunk — of a tree

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