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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. file — a tool
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. can — a tin
  8. net — after costs
  9. root — of a plant
  10. file — a document
  11. net — for catching
  12. rest — what's left
  13. can — a tin
  14. rest — a break
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. file — a line of people
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. root — of a word
  20. can — to be able to
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. stem — to come from
  23. root — the cause
  24. rest — what's left

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