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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 116 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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. key — in music
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. key — for a lock
  8. club — a group
  9. club — for dancing
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. club — for golf
  12. key — the most important part
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. lean — thin
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. stem — to come from
  18. lean — to bend
  19. shower — rain
  20. shower — to wash
  21. stock — goods
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. stock — shares

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