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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 120 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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. present — the time now
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. present — there
  5. game — wild animals
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. staff — a stick
  9. pass — a permit
  10. present — a gift
  11. spell — magic
  12. staff — employees
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. staff — employees
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. prune — to trim
  18. prune — to trim
  19. game — a match
  20. stem — to come from
  21. spell — a short time
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. spell — letters
  24. pass — to succeed

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