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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. ball — a dance
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. prune — to trim
  7. hand — help
  8. stem — to come from
  9. dip — to sink
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. ball — a great time
  12. prune — to trim
  13. cell — a phone
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. hand — in cards
  17. ground — crushed
  18. ground — a position
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. ground — the earth
  24. cell — in biology

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