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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 120 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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. tear — to rip
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. rush — hurry
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. content — the amount
  9. cue — for pool
  10. stem — to come from
  11. prune — to trim
  12. tear — from crying
  13. cue — a signal
  14. degree — an amount
  15. tear — from crying
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. cue — a hint
  18. degree — temperature
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. degree — from a university
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. content — happy

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