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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. bound — certain
  3. net — for catching
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. fall — the season
  8. rule — government
  9. stem — to come from
  10. bound — obliged
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. rule — a law
  14. fall — to drop
  15. bound — tied together
  16. wound — an injury
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. net — in sport
  19. wound — an injury
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. fall — to drop
  22. bark — to shout
  23. net — after costs
  24. prune — to trim

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