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

Word bank: stem · ground · trunk · game · jam · bowl · club · cell

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. cell — in biology
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. stem — to come from
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. club — a group
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. club — for golf
  10. game — wild animals
  11. game — a match
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. club — for dancing
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. ground — the earth
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. ground — crushed
  21. cell — a phone
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. ground — a position
  24. cell — in a prison

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