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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. foot — a measure
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. toast — bread
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. ground — a position
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. mark — a trace
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — to trim
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. ground — the earth
  17. mark — a grade
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. ground — crushed
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. stem — to come from
  24. prune — the fruit

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