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

Word bank: stem · key · perch · fall · trunk · season · band · mate

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. key — the most important part
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. key — for a lock
  6. fall — the season
  7. mate — a friend
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. fall — to drop
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. fall — to drop
  13. band — a ring
  14. key — in music
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. season — of the year
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. stem — to come from
  20. perch — the fish
  21. season — in sport
  22. mate — to breed
  23. mate — a partner
  24. stem — of a plant

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