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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. prune — to trim
  6. stem — to come from
  7. land — to come down
  8. prune — to trim
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. land — a country
  11. land — ground
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. vault — a safe
  15. face — to confront
  16. face — part of the head
  17. dip — to sink
  18. face — to point toward
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. band — a ring
  24. dip — a sauce

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