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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: mine · stem · prune · craft · stand · mouse · cell · trunk

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. cell — in biology
  4. prune — to trim
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. stand — to bear
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. prune — to trim
  11. cell — a phone
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. craft — a skill
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. craft — boats
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. stem — to come from
  24. stem — of a plant

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