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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tear — to rip
  4. key — for a lock
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. prune — to trim
  7. pop — to visit
  8. sharp — clever
  9. key — in music
  10. stem — to come from
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. key — the most important part
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. tear — from crying
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. pop — music
  19. lean — thin
  20. lean — to bend
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. prune — to trim
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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