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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bear · trunk · land · game · kid · foot · stem · current

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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 a tree
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. land — ground
  8. bear — the animal
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. current — happening now
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. kid — to tease
  13. bear — the animal
  14. game — wild animals
  15. current — of water
  16. land — to come down
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. kid — child
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. foot — a measure
  21. current — electric
  22. game — a match
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. land — a country

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