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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: calf · trunk · court · wind · pitch · suit · key · stem

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. key — for a lock
  5. key — the most important part
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. key — in music
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. court — of a king
  12. court — for sport
  13. suit — to fit
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. wind — moving air
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. suit — clothes
  18. pitch — completely
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. court — of law
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. stem — to come from
  23. wind — moving air
  24. suit — in cards

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