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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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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: rock · can · fan · stem · trunk · squash · chest · lie

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. squash — the sport
  3. chest — of your body
  4. can — a tin
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. chest — a box
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. can — a tin
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. can — to be able to
  11. rock — music
  12. chest — of your body
  13. squash — to crush
  14. rock — a stone
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. stem — to come from
  20. lie — to recline
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. fan — to cool the air

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