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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 116 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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. stem — to come from
  4. drill — a practice
  5. cue — a signal
  6. hand — help
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. last — final
  9. hand — in cards
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. prune — to trim
  12. drill — the tool
  13. last — finally
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. ball — a dance
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. cue — for pool
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. stand — to bear
  20. drill — army training
  21. last — to go on
  22. cue — a hint
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. ball — a great time

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