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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. prune — to trim
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. spell — a short time
  7. foot — a measure
  8. rash — hasty
  9. spell — magic
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. field — farmland
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. stand — to bear
  18. field — a subject
  19. date — the fruit
  20. spell — letters
  21. rash — a series
  22. field — for sport
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. stem — to come from

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