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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. key — for a lock
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. degree — temperature
  6. key — the most important part
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. prune — to trim
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. degree — from a university
  12. key — in music
  13. stem — to come from
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. degree — an amount
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. prune — to trim
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. row — a line
  20. row — to paddle
  21. bark — to shout
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. ruler — a monarch

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