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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. spring — of water
  3. can — to be able to
  4. pass — a permit
  5. prune — to trim
  6. can — a tin
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. wax — to grow
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. bulb — for light
  16. spring — the season
  17. spring — a coil
  18. bulb — for light
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. prune — to trim
  21. rash — a series
  22. rash — hasty
  23. can — a tin
  24. bulb — of a plant

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