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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. stem — to come from
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. chest — a box
  6. chest — of your body
  7. band — a ring
  8. bear — the animal
  9. chest — of your body
  10. band — a music group
  11. bear — the animal
  12. firm — steady
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. prune — to trim
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. sharp — clever
  20. date — the fruit
  21. prune — to trim
  22. firm — a company
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. sharp — exactly

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