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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. foot — a measure
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. prune — to trim
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. bulb — for light
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. bulb — for light
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. spring — of water
  17. spring — a coil
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. spring — the season
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. lie — to recline
  23. stem — to come from
  24. prune — the fruit

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