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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. rash — a series
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. rash — hasty
  6. drill — the tool
  7. march — music
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. march — the month
  11. cue — for pool
  12. season — in sport
  13. march — the month
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. stem — to come from
  16. season — of the year
  17. drill — army training
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. cue — a signal
  20. drill — a practice
  21. cue — a hint
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. branch — a division

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