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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 ________________ went through the wall.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. track — a path
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. land — to come down
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. land — ground
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. scale — size or range
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. scale — in music
  17. stem — to come from
  18. track — a song
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. track — to keep track
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. land — a country
  24. trunk — of a car

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