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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 120 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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. present — there
  4. object — a thing
  5. object — an aim
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. stem — to come from
  14. net — for catching
  15. ball — a great time
  16. object — to protest
  17. net — in sport
  18. ball — a dance
  19. wake — a trail
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. net — after costs
  23. present — the time now
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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