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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. track — to keep track
  5. charge — in control
  6. roll — a list
  7. roll — a cake
  8. prune — to trim
  9. cold — an illness
  10. court — for sport
  11. court — of a king
  12. cold — not warm
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. track — a song
  15. track — a path
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. charge — electricity
  18. charge — a price
  19. court — of law
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. bass — low music
  22. bass — the fish
  23. prune — to trim
  24. stem — of a plant

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