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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 116 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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. rash — hasty
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. pass — a permit
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. prune — to trim
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. stem — to come from
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. ground — crushed
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. bass — the fish
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. bass — low music
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. rash — a series
  22. ground — the earth
  23. prune — to trim
  24. ground — a position

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