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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: wake · trunk · rush · bat · stem · track · mine · firm

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. track — a path
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. wake — a trail
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. firm — steady
  10. track — a song
  11. track — to keep track
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bat — the animal
  15. firm — decided
  16. rush — hurry
  17. firm — a company
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. mine — for digging
  23. stem — to come from
  24. rush — to hurry

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