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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. prune — to trim
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. prune — to trim
  7. firm — steady
  8. press — newspapers
  9. field — a subject
  10. press — to push
  11. firm — a company
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. wake — a trail
  14. stem — to come from
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. firm — decided
  17. press — a publisher
  18. tube — a container
  19. field — farmland
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. tube — the underground
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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