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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. cap — of ice
  4. wound — an injury
  5. board — to get on
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. tube — the underground
  9. tube — a container
  10. prune — to trim
  11. stock — goods
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. stem — to come from
  14. stock — shares
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. board — a committee
  18. cap — a hat
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. prune — to trim
  24. wound — an injury

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