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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 · fan · lean · bark · track · spring · cue · stem

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. spring — of water
  3. bark — to shout
  4. track — a song
  5. cue — a hint
  6. lean — to bend
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. spring — a coil
  11. stem — to come from
  12. track — to keep track
  13. cue — for pool
  14. spring — the season
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. cue — a signal
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. lean — thin
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. trunk — of a tree

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