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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. charge — in control
  4. roll — a list
  5. prune — to trim
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. charge — electricity
  9. roll — a cake
  10. wind — moving air
  11. bark — to shout
  12. stem — to come from
  13. wind — moving air
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. prune — to trim
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. band — a ring
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. band — a music group
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. charge — a price
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. rush — hurry

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