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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 124 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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. prune — to trim
  3. can — a tin
  4. snap — to click
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. prune — to trim
  8. can — a tin
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. degree — from a university
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. lean — to bend
  13. degree — temperature
  14. pass — a permit
  15. file — a line of people
  16. file — a document
  17. lean — thin
  18. file — a tool
  19. stem — to come from
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. degree — an amount
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. can — to be able to

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