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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 stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. prune — to trim
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. cap — of ice
  5. field — a subject
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. craft — boats
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. stem — to come from
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. rush — hurry
  14. mine — for digging
  15. field — for sport
  16. fall — to drop
  17. craft — a skill
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. cap — a lid
  22. fall — the season
  23. cap — a hat
  24. field — farmland

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