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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: stem · roll · perch · fan · nail · land · trunk · mine

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  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. roll — on a roll
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. land — a country
  6. roll — a list
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. land — to come down
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. stem — to come from
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. perch — the fish
  17. mine — for digging
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. land — ground
  22. roll — a cake
  23. perch — for a bird
  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