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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 · racket · stem · face · object · mine · ruler · mate

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. object — to protest
  3. stem — to come from
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. face — to point toward
  9. face — to confront
  10. mate — a friend
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. object — a thing
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. mate — a partner
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. mate — to breed
  22. face — part of the head
  23. object — an aim
  24. stem — of a plant

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