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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: saw · nail · coach · lean · stem · trunk · cell · march

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. lean — to bend
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. march — music
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. lean — thin
  11. cell — in biology
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. cell — a phone
  17. stem — to come from
  18. march — the month
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — the tool
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. march — the month

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