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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. pop — music
  3. pop — to visit
  4. prune — to trim
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. file — a line of people
  8. staff — employees
  9. file — a tool
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. file — a document
  13. foot — a measure
  14. prune — to trim
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. object — to protest
  17. object — an aim
  18. staff — employees
  19. pop — soda
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. object — a thing
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. stem — to come from

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