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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. present — a gift
  3. saw — the tool
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. pass — a permit
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. game — wild animals
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. saw — the tool
  13. scale — in music
  14. present — there
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. scale — size or range
  18. prune — to trim
  19. present — the time now
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. stem — to come from
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. game — a match
  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