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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. land — a country
  3. spring — the season
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. charge — electricity
  7. spring — a coil
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. mark — a trace
  10. spring — of water
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. mark — a grade
  14. stem — to come from
  15. charge — a price
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. charge — in control
  18. land — to come down
  19. land — ground
  20. prune — to trim
  21. row — to paddle
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. row — a line
  24. mark — to pay attention

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