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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. can — to be able to
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. club — for dancing
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. stem — to come from
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. club — a group
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. rash — a series
  11. band — a ring
  12. prune — to trim
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. can — a tin
  17. plane — a tool
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. band — a music group
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. club — for golf
  22. can — a tin
  23. rash — hasty
  24. band — a rubber band

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