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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 120 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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. track — a song
  5. can — to be able to
  6. wound — an injury
  7. land — ground
  8. track — to keep track
  9. prune — to trim
  10. can — a tin
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. wound — an injury
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. can — a tin
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. land — a country
  20. track — a path
  21. land — to come down
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. stem — to come from
  24. temple — a place of worship

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