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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  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. stem — a stem cell
  2. pop — music
  3. staff — employees
  4. staff — a stick
  5. prune — to trim
  6. file — a tool
  7. stem — to come from
  8. pop — to visit
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. staff — employees
  11. file — a line of people
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. file — a document
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. pop — soda
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. lean — to bend
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. prune — to trim
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. snap — to click
  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