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

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. present — there
  5. cell — in biology
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. bound — tied together
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. present — the time now
  10. mine — for digging
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. bound — obliged
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. stem — to come from
  18. present — a gift
  19. pass — a permit
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. prune — to trim
  22. prune — to trim
  23. bound — certain
  24. cell — a phone

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