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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 120 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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. squash — to crush
  4. stand — to bear
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. prune — to trim
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. fall — the season
  10. fall — to drop
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. squash — the sport
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. stem — a stem cell

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