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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 120 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: trunk · stem · mate · ground · track · march · chair · shower

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. ground — a position
  4. ground — crushed
  5. track — to keep track
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. shower — to wash
  8. march — music
  9. march — the month
  10. ground — the earth
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. march — the month
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. track — a song
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. track — a path
  17. stem — to come from
  18. mate — to breed
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. chair — a leader
  21. mate — a partner
  22. shower — rain
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. mate — a friend

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