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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. ground — the earth
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — to trim
  5. can — a tin
  6. ground — crushed
  7. can — to be able to
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. saw — the tool
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. snap — to click
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. ground — a position
  16. dip — to sink
  17. track — a song
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. can — a tin
  20. track — to keep track
  21. stem — to come from
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. saw — the tool
  24. track — a path

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