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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. present — a gift
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. root — the cause
  7. cell — a phone
  8. net — after costs
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. cell — in biology
  11. file — a line of people
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. net — for catching
  14. file — a document
  15. root — of a word
  16. root — of a plant
  17. stem — to come from
  18. bulb — for light
  19. present — there
  20. bulb — for light
  21. net — in sport
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. file — a tool
  24. present — the time now

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