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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. saw — the tool
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. stem — to come from
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. row — a line
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. row — to paddle
  13. saw — the tool
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. craft — a skill
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. snap — to click
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. craft — boats
  21. mine — for digging
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. mine — belonging to me

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