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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. kid — to tease
  3. bound — certain
  4. stem — to come from
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. rock — music
  8. track — a song
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. kid — child
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. bound — obliged
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. wake — a trail
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. bound — tied together
  21. track — to keep track
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. track — a path
  24. rock — a stone

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