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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. present — the time now
  3. hand — in cards
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. ground — a position
  6. ground — the earth
  7. prune — to trim
  8. track — a path
  9. bank — for money
  10. bank — for money
  11. bank — of a river
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. prune — to trim
  15. present — a gift
  16. track — to keep track
  17. stem — to come from
  18. present — there
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. hand — help
  21. track — a song
  22. ground — crushed
  23. wake — a trail
  24. wake — before a funeral

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