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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. prune — to trim
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. key — the most important part
  6. craft — boats
  7. key — in music
  8. key — for a lock
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. game — a match
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. stand — to bear
  13. game — wild animals
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. craft — a skill
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. prune — to trim
  22. stem — to come from
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. pass — a permit

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