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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. file — a document
  3. prune — to trim
  4. wound — an injury
  5. face — to confront
  6. cue — a hint
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. cue — a signal
  11. face — to point toward
  12. file — a tool
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. file — a line of people
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. cue — for pool
  18. face — part of the head
  19. prune — to trim
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. stem — to come from
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. wound — an injury

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