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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. prune — to trim
  3. fine — all right
  4. court — of a king
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. bear — the animal
  8. fine — high quality
  9. bear — the animal
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. bore — to drill
  12. kid — to tease
  13. court — for sport
  14. stem — to come from
  15. bore — to tire
  16. court — of law
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. ground — a position
  19. ground — crushed
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. ground — the earth
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. kid — child

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