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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. prune — to trim
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. prune — to trim
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bark — to shout
  15. club — for dancing
  16. club — a group
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. pound — a weight
  19. club — for golf
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. pound — to hit hard

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