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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. rule — government
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. roll — a cake
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. stem — to come from
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. roll — a list
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. rule — a law
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. branch — a division
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. rule — to rule out

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