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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. cap — a lid
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. cap — of ice
  5. prune — to trim
  6. race — humankind
  7. stem — to come from
  8. race — the arms race
  9. spell — magic
  10. prune — to trim
  11. fine — all right
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. spell — letters
  14. fine — high quality
  15. pound — a weight
  16. cap — a hat
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. pit — in a race
  19. pit — a hole
  20. spell — a short time
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. race — a contest

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