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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. file — a line of people
  6. pit — a hole
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. stem — to come from
  9. pit — in a race
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. prune — to trim
  12. staff — a stick
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. wax — to grow
  15. last — finally
  16. staff — employees
  17. staff — employees
  18. last — to go on
  19. file — a tool
  20. last — final
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. file — a document

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