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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. present — the time now
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. court — of law
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. prune — to trim
  10. chest — of your body
  11. present — there
  12. cue — a signal
  13. court — of a king
  14. plane — a tool
  15. chest — a box
  16. cue — a hint
  17. present — a gift
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. cue — for pool
  20. court — for sport
  21. chest — of your body
  22. stem — to come from
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. plane — an aircraft

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