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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. band — a music group
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. stem — to come from
  6. key — the most important part
  7. net — for catching
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. key — in music
  10. net — after costs
  11. band — a ring
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. prune — to trim
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. net — in sport
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. key — for a lock
  21. prune — to trim
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. mine — for digging

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