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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: arm · stem · mate · trunk · cue · spell · jam · shower

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. cue — a signal
  6. shower — to wash
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. mate — to breed
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. mate — a partner
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. mate — a friend
  14. shower — rain
  15. cue — for pool
  16. cue — a hint
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. spell — letters
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. stem — to come from
  21. spell — a short time
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. spell — magic

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