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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: trunk · rush · rule · march · game · calf · stem · toast

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. toast — bread
  3. march — the month
  4. rule — a law
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. game — wild animals
  11. stem — to come from
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. game — a match
  17. rule — government
  18. march — music
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. march — the month
  24. rush — hurry

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