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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: court · file · hide · trunk · dip · saw · stem · rest

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. saw — the tool
  4. file — a tool
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. rest — a break
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rest — what's left
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. dip — to sink
  17. court — of a king
  18. file — a document
  19. court — for sport
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. court — of law
  22. file — a line of people
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. hide — to keep secret

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