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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. rest — a break
  3. tear — from crying
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — to trim
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. bulb — for light
  8. rash — a series
  9. kick — in football
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. rash — hasty
  14. stem — to come from
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. bulb — for light
  17. dip — to sink
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. tear — from crying
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. tear — to rip
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. rest — what's left

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