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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 120 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: mug · pop · tear · fan · stand · wake · trunk · stem

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  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. trunk — of an elephant
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. mug — a face
  6. pop — to visit
  7. mug — a cup
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. wake — a trail
  11. tear — from crying
  12. pop — music
  13. tear — to rip
  14. tear — from crying
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. mug — to rob
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. pop — soda
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. stem — to come from
  21. stand — to bear
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. trunk — of a car
  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