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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 120 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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. prune — to trim
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. wound — an injury
  9. degree — temperature
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. stem — to come from
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. prune — to trim
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. degree — from a university
  16. sharp — clever
  17. bark — to shout
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. degree — an amount
  20. wound — an injury
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. racket — for tennis

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