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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 116 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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. craft — boats
  4. field — farmland
  5. spring — a coil
  6. field — for sport
  7. pop — music
  8. field — a subject
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. pop — soda
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. prune — to trim
  16. craft — a skill
  17. spring — of water
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. stem — to come from
  21. perch — the fish
  22. pop — to visit
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. hide — to keep secret

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