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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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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: nail · bat · stem · racket · stand · trunk · leaves · rule

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. stand — to bear
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. bat — the animal
  7. rule — a law
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. stem — to come from
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. rule — government
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. trunk — of a tree

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