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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. ground — crushed
  3. bulb — for light
  4. prune — to trim
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. bank — for money
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. spell — a short time
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. rash — a series
  11. bank — of a river
  12. ground — the earth
  13. rash — hasty
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. spell — letters
  16. bulb — for light
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. spell — magic
  19. prune — to trim
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. bank — for money
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. ground — a position
  24. stem — a stem cell

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