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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. spring — a coil
  3. prune — to trim
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. ball — a dance
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. field — farmland
  9. stem — to come from
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. bore — to tire
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. field — for sport
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. spring — of water
  19. sharp — clever
  20. prune — to trim
  21. bore — to drill
  22. ball — a great time
  23. spring — the season
  24. field — a subject

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