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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. prune — to trim
  3. game — a match
  4. game — wild animals
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. fork — in a road
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. spell — magic
  13. stand — to bear
  14. rash — a series
  15. prune — to trim
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. spell — a short time
  22. stem — to come from
  23. spell — letters
  24. racket — for tennis

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