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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: stem · key · land · cabinet · cold · court · cue · trunk

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. cold — not warm
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. land — a country
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. court — for sport
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. key — the most important part
  9. cold — an illness
  10. land — ground
  11. cue — a hint
  12. court — of law
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. key — in music
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cue — a signal
  18. key — for a lock
  19. stem — to come from
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. cue — for pool
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. court — of a king
  24. land — to come down

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