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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. track — to keep track
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. file — a tool
  8. stem — to come from
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. ground — crushed
  11. bulb — for light
  12. row — a line
  13. ground — a position
  14. track — a song
  15. track — a path
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. snap — to click
  18. file — a line of people
  19. bulb — for light
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. prune — to trim
  23. row — to paddle
  24. file — a document

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