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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. rest — a break
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. capital — money
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. rest — what's left
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. prune — to trim
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. stem — to come from
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. land — to come down
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. land — a country
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. mark — a trace
  21. land — ground
  22. rest — what's left
  23. mark — a grade
  24. capital — a city

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