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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. march — the month
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. cell — a phone
  7. shower — rain
  8. chip — for betting
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. march — music
  11. fork — in a road
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. chip — to eat
  14. stem — to come from
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. cell — in biology
  19. shower — to wash
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. march — the month
  22. prune — to trim
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. cell — in a prison

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