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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.

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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. pound — a weight
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. prune — to trim
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. pitch — completely
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. firm — decided
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. firm — a company
  13. stem — to come from
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. spring — the season
  18. spring — a coil
  19. firm — steady
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. prune — to trim
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. lash — to lash out

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