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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. club — a group
  4. club — for dancing
  5. fork — in a road
  6. mate — a friend
  7. file — a line of people
  8. mug — a face
  9. prune — to trim
  10. stem — to come from
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. file — a tool
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. mug — to rob
  15. prune — to trim
  16. can — a tin
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. mug — a cup
  19. can — a tin
  20. can — to be able to
  21. file — a document
  22. mate — a partner
  23. mate — to breed
  24. prune — the fruit

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