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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pop · bank · cell · trunk · arm · stem · spell · track

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. track — to keep track
  3. cell — a phone
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. spell — magic
  6. spell — letters
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. stem — to come from
  10. spell — a short time
  11. track — a song
  12. bank — for money
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. pop — music
  15. pop — soda
  16. track — a path
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. cell — in biology
  19. bank — for money
  20. bank — of a river
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. stem — a stem cell

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