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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. firm — a company
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. current — happening now
  7. file — a tool
  8. firm — decided
  9. firm — steady
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. current — electric
  12. chip — to eat
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. chair — a leader
  15. prune — to trim
  16. file — a document
  17. chip — for betting
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. snap — to click
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. current — of water
  22. file — a line of people
  23. stem — to come from
  24. prune — the fruit

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