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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: fan · wake · deal · trunk · pitch · fall · stem · mate

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. stem — to come from
  6. fall — the season
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. fall — to drop
  9. pitch — completely
  10. mate — to breed
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fall — to drop
  13. wake — a trail
  14. mate — a partner
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. mate — a friend
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. fan — a supporter

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