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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. prune — to trim
  3. current — happening now
  4. pop — to visit
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. hand — help
  8. mine — for digging
  9. current — of water
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. pop — soda
  14. prune — to trim
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. hand — in cards
  18. current — electric
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. pass — a permit
  21. mark — a trace
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. stem — to come from
  24. mark — a grade

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