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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. club — a group
  3. ground — a position
  4. prune — to trim
  5. last — to go on
  6. ground — the earth
  7. last — final
  8. last — finally
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. track — to keep track
  11. stock — goods
  12. net — for catching
  13. club — for dancing
  14. net — in sport
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. track — a song
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. ground — crushed
  20. prune — to trim
  21. track — a path
  22. net — after costs
  23. stock — shares
  24. club — for golf

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