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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: mate · chest · stem · straw · leaves · toast · trunk · content

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. chest — of your body
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. mate — a friend
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. chest — of your body
  9. stem — to come from
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. content — the amount
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. mate — a partner
  15. toast — bread
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. content — happy
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. mate — to breed

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