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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 120 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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. rush — hurry
  3. craft — a skill
  4. staff — employees
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. craft — boats
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. staff — employees
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. prune — to trim
  16. stem — to come from
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. staff — a stick
  19. dip — to sink
  20. shower — to wash
  21. shower — rain
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. wake — a trail

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