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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 116 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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. fall — to drop
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. prune — to trim
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. prune — to trim
  8. fall — to drop
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. cap — of ice
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. fall — the season
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. stem — to come from
  17. pit — in a race
  18. cap — a lid
  19. snap — to click
  20. pit — a hole
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. cap — a hat

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