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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. wake — a trail
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. court — of law
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. stem — to come from
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. court — for sport
  19. court — of a king
  20. tube — a container
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. dip — to sink
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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