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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 116 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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. prune — to trim
  3. mark — a grade
  4. file — a line of people
  5. cold — not warm
  6. staff — employees
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. file — a document
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. craft — a skill
  11. stem — to come from
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. staff — employees
  16. file — a tool
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. craft — boats
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. prune — to trim
  22. staff — a stick
  23. cold — an illness
  24. mark — a trace

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