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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. ground — crushed
  3. stem — to come from
  4. prune — to trim
  5. spell — letters
  6. current — of water
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. degree — temperature
  9. bore — to drill
  10. degree — an amount
  11. bore — to tire
  12. spell — magic
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. current — happening now
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. degree — from a university
  18. prune — to trim
  19. spell — a short time
  20. current — electric
  21. ground — the earth
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. leaves — of a tree

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