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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. rash — a series
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. stem — to come from
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. can — a tin
  7. rash — hasty
  8. wound — an injury
  9. can — to be able to
  10. field — farmland
  11. field — a subject
  12. wound — an injury
  13. pop — music
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. board — to get on
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. can — a tin
  18. prune — to trim
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. board — a committee
  21. pop — soda
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. prune — to trim
  24. field — for sport

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