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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. spring — a coil
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. rest — what's left
  7. prune — to trim
  8. rest — a break
  9. face — part of the head
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. rest — what's left
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. pop — to visit
  14. face — to confront
  15. pop — soda
  16. spring — the season
  17. face — to point toward
  18. game — a match
  19. pop — music
  20. game — wild animals
  21. chip — to eat
  22. spring — of water
  23. prune — to trim
  24. chip — for betting

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