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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. board — a committee
  3. drill — a practice
  4. prune — to trim
  5. spring — a coil
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. present — there
  8. lean — thin
  9. spring — the season
  10. spring — of water
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. lean — to bend
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. present — a gift
  15. present — the time now
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. drill — army training
  19. drill — the tool
  20. board — to get on
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. stem — to come from

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