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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: trunk · scale · spring · stem · arm · wake · bank · rash

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. wake — a trail
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. stem — to come from
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. bank — for money
  12. scale — in music
  13. bank — of a river
  14. spring — the season
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. rash — hasty
  17. rash — a series
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. spring — of water
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. spring — a coil
  23. scale — size or range
  24. bank — for money

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