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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. mate — a friend
  4. saw — the tool
  5. craft — boats
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. prune — to trim
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. mate — a partner
  10. craft — a skill
  11. face — to point toward
  12. mate — to breed
  13. lean — thin
  14. lean — to bend
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. saw — the tool
  17. face — to confront
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. prune — to trim
  20. face — part of the head
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. fork — in a road
  24. fork — a garden tool

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