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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 got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. object — an aim
  4. rash — hasty
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. cap — a hat
  8. cap — a lid
  9. fine — all right
  10. object — a thing
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. object — to protest
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. cap — of ice
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. shower — to wash
  18. prune — to trim
  19. rash — a series
  20. shower — rain
  21. fine — high quality
  22. prune — to trim
  23. wake — a trail
  24. stem — to come from

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