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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. mug — to rob
  5. stock — shares
  6. tear — from crying
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. shower — to wash
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. prune — to trim
  13. shower — rain
  14. tear — to rip
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. deal — to handle
  17. mug — a cup
  18. tear — from crying
  19. mug — a face
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. stock — goods
  23. stem — to come from
  24. prune — to trim

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