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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: cap · stem · plane · trunk · staff · straw · club · pop

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. club — a group
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. cap — of ice
  8. cap — a hat
  9. staff — employees
  10. pop — soda
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. staff — employees
  15. club — for golf
  16. cap — a lid
  17. pop — to visit
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. staff — a stick
  20. stem — to come from
  21. club — for dancing
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. plane — a tool
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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