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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: bass · tear · key · trunk · roll · perch · stem · drill

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. stem — to come from
  3. tear — from crying
  4. drill — army training
  5. key — the most important part
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. tear — from crying
  8. key — in music
  9. drill — a practice
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. tear — to rip
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. roll — a cake
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. bass — low music
  16. drill — the tool
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. key — for a lock
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. bass — the fish
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. roll — a list
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. stem — a stem cell

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