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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. wound — an injury
  4. prune — to trim
  5. staff — employees
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. mark — a trace
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. rock — music
  13. mark — a grade
  14. prune — to trim
  15. stem — to come from
  16. bulb — for light
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. rock — a stone
  19. staff — employees
  20. game — wild animals
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bulb — for light
  23. game — a match
  24. staff — a stick

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