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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. cell — in biology
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. game — wild animals
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. stem — to come from
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. game — a match
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — to trim
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. cell — a phone

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