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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: stem · trunk · stick · row · perch · can · hand · cold

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. stem — to come from
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. cold — an illness
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. cold — not warm
  9. can — a tin
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. row — a line
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. row — to paddle
  16. can — a tin
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. can — to be able to
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. hand — help
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. hand — in cards

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