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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: roll · trunk · wound · stem · wake · rock · mate · bore

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. bore — to drill
  3. mate — to breed
  4. roll — a cake
  5. rock — music
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. bore — to tire
  8. wound — an injury
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. wake — a trail
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. mate — a partner
  19. mate — a friend
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. roll — a list
  23. rock — a stone
  24. rock — to move gently

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