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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. spring — of water
  4. spring — a coil
  5. stem — to come from
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. prune — to trim
  9. board — to get on
  10. bore — to tire
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. press — to push
  13. net — after costs
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. press — newspapers
  16. spring — the season
  17. bore — to drill
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. press — a publisher
  20. wax — to grow
  21. net — for catching
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. board — a committee
  24. net — in 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