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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. stem — to come from
  5. can — a tin
  6. band — a music group
  7. prune — to trim
  8. dip — to sink
  9. can — a tin
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. game — wild animals
  14. prune — to trim
  15. can — to be able to
  16. band — a ring
  17. shower — rain
  18. game — a match
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. shower — to wash
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. rush — hurry

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