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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: staff · spell · ruler · trunk · march · stick · wound · stem

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. spell — magic
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. march — the month
  6. staff — employees
  7. march — music
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. staff — employees
  10. march — the month
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. stem — to come from
  13. wound — an injury
  14. spell — letters
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. spell — a short time
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. wound — an injury
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. staff — a stick
  24. ruler — for measuring

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