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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  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. trunk — of a tree
  2. staff — employees
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. rock — music
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. cold — an illness
  8. saw — the tool
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. rock — a stone
  11. staff — a stick
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. cold — not warm
  15. staff — employees
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. saw — the tool
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. stem — to come from
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  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