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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: rush · stem · trunk · mug · ground · season · arm · game

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. mug — a face
  4. season — in sport
  5. game — wild animals
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. mug — a cup
  8. ground — a position
  9. game — a match
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. stem — to come from
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. mug — to rob
  20. rush — hurry
  21. season — of the year
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. ground — the earth
  24. arm — part of the body

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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