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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 116 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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. tear — from crying
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. lean — to bend
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. tear — from crying
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — to trim
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. tear — to rip
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. bulb — for light
  16. pit — a hole
  17. bulb — for light
  18. fine — all right
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. stem — to come from
  21. fine — high quality
  22. pit — in a race
  23. deal — to handle
  24. lean — thin

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