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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  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. fall — to drop
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. object — an aim
  6. fall — the season
  7. drill — the tool
  8. drill — a practice
  9. fall — to drop
  10. net — for catching
  11. net — after costs
  12. present — there
  13. prune — to trim
  14. present — the time now
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. drill — army training
  17. net — in sport
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. object — to protest
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. present — a gift
  23. object — a thing
  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