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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. hand — help
  3. firm — decided
  4. pit — a hole
  5. pop — to visit
  6. pit — in a race
  7. prune — to trim
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. rush — hurry
  10. spell — a short time
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. hand — in cards
  13. stem — to come from
  14. firm — steady
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. spell — letters
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. pop — music
  20. pop — soda
  21. spell — magic
  22. prune — to trim
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. hand — part of the body

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