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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. track — a path
  5. ground — a position
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. track — to keep track
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. spring — of water
  13. stand — to bear
  14. sharp — clever
  15. prune — to trim
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. ground — the earth
  18. stem — to come from
  19. ground — crushed
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. prune — to trim
  23. spring — a coil
  24. track — a song

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