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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 116 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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. pit — a hole
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. pit — in a race
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. perch — the fish
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. race — a contest
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. rush — hurry
  13. prune — to trim
  14. race — the arms race
  15. stem — to come from
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. race — humankind
  18. wind — moving air
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. wind — moving air
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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