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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: club · lean · scale · pop · bore · face · trunk · stem

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. scale — size or range
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. face — to confront
  5. face — part of the head
  6. bore — to tire
  7. stem — to come from
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. lean — thin
  10. club — for golf
  11. pop — soda
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. face — to point toward
  14. club — a group
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. bore — to drill
  17. scale — in music
  18. club — for dancing
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. pop — to visit
  22. lean — to bend
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. pop — music

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