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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: stem · pop · bat · trunk · court · rock · foot · current

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. pop — to visit
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. bat — the animal
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. current — happening now
  7. pop — music
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. court — for sport
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. rock — a stone
  15. current — electric
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. stem — to come from
  18. current — of water
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. court — of law
  21. rock — music
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. court — of a king
  24. foot — a measure

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