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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: trunk · staff · dip · stem · racket · ball · club · key

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. club — for dancing
  3. club — a group
  4. stem — to come from
  5. key — in music
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. ball — a great time
  9. staff — employees
  10. club — for golf
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. key — the most important part
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. dip — to sink
  17. staff — a stick
  18. staff — employees
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. key — for a lock
  24. racket — for tennis

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