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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. wind — moving air
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. mug — a cup
  5. wind — moving air
  6. drill — the tool
  7. mug — to rob
  8. prune — to trim
  9. mug — a face
  10. drill — army training
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. tear — from crying
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. tear — to rip
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. tear — from crying
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. court — of law
  21. stem — to come from
  22. foot — a measure
  23. court — of a king
  24. court — for sport

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