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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. stem — to come from
  4. file — a line of people
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. land — ground
  8. file — a tool
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. date — the fruit
  11. sharp — clever
  12. land — a country
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. land — to come down
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. file — a document

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