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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. land — ground
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. ball — a great time
  5. ball — a dance
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. game — a match
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. prune — to trim
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. lean — thin
  14. prune — to trim
  15. lean — to bend
  16. land — a country
  17. game — wild animals
  18. key — in music
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. key — the most important part
  21. stem — to come from
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. key — for a lock
  24. land — to come down

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