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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. cue — a hint
  3. object — an aim
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. ball — a great time
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. cue — for pool
  9. object — to protest
  10. last — final
  11. lean — thin
  12. prune — to trim
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. cue — a signal
  15. last — to go on
  16. lean — to bend
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. stem — to come from
  20. ball — a dance
  21. object — a thing
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. last — finally
  24. ball — a round shape

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