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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. band — a ring
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. key — in music
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. scale — size or range
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. date — the fruit
  9. key — for a lock
  10. bound — certain
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. key — the most important part
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. prune — to trim
  16. bound — tied together
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. band — a music group
  21. scale — in music
  22. bound — obliged
  23. stem — to come from
  24. date — on the calendar

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