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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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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: bat · lie · ground · game · leaves · stem · cue · trunk

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. game — a match
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. cue — a signal
  9. cue — for pool
  10. ground — crushed
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. lie — to recline
  17. stem — to come from
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. ground — the earth
  20. ground — a position
  21. cue — a hint
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. game — wild animals
  24. stem — of a plant

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