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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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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: date · pitcher · stem · fine · roll · row · deal · trunk

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. date — the fruit
  4. fine — all right
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. stem — to come from
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. roll — a cake
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. row — a line
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. roll — a list
  21. row — to paddle
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. fine — high quality
  24. deal — to handle

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