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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: stem · trunk · shower · mine · content · firm · ground · snap

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. content — the amount
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. ground — the earth
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. ground — a position
  9. firm — a company
  10. firm — decided
  11. shower — rain
  12. snap — to click
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. ground — crushed
  16. mine — for digging
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. firm — steady
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. content — happy
  24. shower — to wash

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