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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. prune — to trim
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. wound — an injury
  6. stem — to come from
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rest — a break
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. wound — an injury
  13. court — for sport
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. capital — money
  19. plane — a tool
  20. court — of law
  21. capital — a city
  22. foot — a measure
  23. court — of a king
  24. foot — part of the body

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