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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. stand — to bear
  7. prune — to trim
  8. last — to go on
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. degree — from a university
  13. last — finally
  14. stem — to come from
  15. prune — to trim
  16. degree — an amount
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. degree — temperature
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. last — final
  21. bear — the animal
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. bear — the animal

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