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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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. foot — a measure
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. mine — for digging
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bound — certain
  7. prune — to trim
  8. bear — the animal
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. bound — tied together
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. stem — to come from
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. bore — to tire
  24. bore — to drill

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