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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  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. mug — to rob
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. key — for a lock
  4. net — for catching
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. net — in sport
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. wind — moving air
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. mug — a cup
  11. net — after costs
  12. squash — the sport
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — to trim
  15. stem — to come from
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. wake — a trail
  18. key — in music
  19. wind — moving air
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. key — the most important part
  22. mug — a face
  23. squash — to crush
  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