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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. mate — to breed
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. stem — to come from
  6. rash — a series
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — to trim
  9. track — a song
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. mate — a friend
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. mate — a partner
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. rash — hasty
  19. stock — shares
  20. stock — goods
  21. track — a path
  22. track — to keep track
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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