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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. wind — moving air
  3. can — a tin
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. track — a song
  6. stem — to come from
  7. dip — to sink
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. prune — to trim
  10. can — to be able to
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. sharp — clever
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. track — to keep track
  15. can — a tin
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. perch — the fish
  19. prune — to trim
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. track — a path
  24. dip — a sauce

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