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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. club — a group
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. cue — a signal
  5. board — a committee
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. cue — for pool
  9. wound — an injury
  10. prune — to trim
  11. track — a song
  12. wound — an injury
  13. club — for golf
  14. track — to keep track
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. board — to get on
  18. stem — to come from
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. cue — a hint
  21. club — for dancing
  22. track — a path
  23. deal — to handle
  24. stem — of a plant

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