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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — an injury
  4. prune — to trim
  5. charge — a price
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. bound — obliged
  8. cue — a signal
  9. prune — to trim
  10. bound — certain
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. charge — in control
  13. last — final
  14. last — to go on
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. cue — for pool
  17. last — finally
  18. cue — a hint
  19. shower — rain
  20. stem — to come from
  21. charge — electricity
  22. shower — to wash
  23. bound — tied together
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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