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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bank — of a river
  4. drill — a practice
  5. bank — for money
  6. swing — in golf
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. foot — a measure
  9. game — a match
  10. stem — to come from
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. bank — for money
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. drill — the tool
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. bore — to tire
  18. swing — music
  19. swing — to play on
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. drill — army training
  23. bore — to drill
  24. prune — to trim

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