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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. lean — thin
  3. degree — an amount
  4. ground — crushed
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. ground — the earth
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. degree — temperature
  10. ground — a position
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. stem — to come from
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. degree — from a university
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. lean — to bend
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. leaves — to go away

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