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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. bound — tied together
  3. prune — to trim
  4. mug — to rob
  5. mug — a face
  6. rush — hurry
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. prune — to trim
  11. track — to keep track
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. cold — an illness
  14. mug — a cup
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. bound — obliged
  17. bound — certain
  18. track — a song
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. track — a path
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. cold — not warm
  24. cold — the Cold War

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