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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: nail · content · face · rush · trunk · pop · cabinet · stem

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. rush — hurry
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. face — to confront
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. face — part of the head
  14. pop — music
  15. face — to point toward
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. content — the amount
  18. pop — to visit
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. pop — soda
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. content — happy
  24. content — videos and posts

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