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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bound — tied together
  4. stem — to come from
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. bound — obliged
  7. mark — a grade
  8. prune — to trim
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. mark — a trace
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. pass — a permit
  13. bound — certain
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. pitcher — a jug

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