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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  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. tube — the underground
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. cold — an illness
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. cold — not warm
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. lie — to recline
  15. tube — a container
  16. stem — to come from
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. toast — bread
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. rush — hurry
  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