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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: trunk · dip · content · mate · perch · stem · bat · plane

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. dip — to sink
  6. mate — a partner
  7. mate — a friend
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. bat — the animal
  10. mate — to breed
  11. perch — the fish
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. stem — to come from
  21. plane — a tool
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. content — the amount
  24. content — happy

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