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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. cue — a hint
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. prune — to trim
  5. cell — a phone
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. cue — a signal
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. prune — to trim
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. mine — for digging
  16. cell — in biology
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. cue — for pool
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. cell — in a prison

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