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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. spring — of water
  4. lean — to bend
  5. wound — an injury
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. rock — music
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. lean — thin
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. stem — to come from
  14. spring — a coil
  15. prune — to trim
  16. rock — a stone
  17. prune — to trim
  18. spring — the season
  19. wound — an injury
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. fork — in a road
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. nail — for a hammer

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