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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 116 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: ball · cue · stem · trunk · fine · kick · perch · clip

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  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. stem — to come from
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. cue — a signal
  4. kick — in football
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. ball — a dance
  8. cue — a hint
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. cue — for pool
  14. fine — all right
  15. ball — a great time
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. clip — a video
  18. clip — for paper
  19. fine — high quality
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. clip — to cut
  23. perch — the fish
  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