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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 ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. stem — to come from
  4. prune — to trim
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. capital — money
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. capital — a city
  9. prune — to trim
  10. wound — an injury
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. ball — a dance
  13. stock — shares
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. wound — an injury
  16. ball — a great time
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. stock — goods
  20. season — of the year
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. season — in sport
  24. capital — a big letter

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