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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 haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. mug — a cup
  5. mug — to rob
  6. prune — to trim
  7. last — finally
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. date — the fruit
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. prune — to trim
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. last — final
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. last — to go on
  21. kick — in football
  22. stem — to come from
  23. mug — a face
  24. racket — a loud noise

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