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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. bear — the animal
  3. kid — child
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. bear — the animal
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. cell — in biology
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. prune — to trim
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. mine — for digging
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. stem — to come from
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. cell — a phone
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. kid — to tease
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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