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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. prune — to trim
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. wind — moving air
  5. stem — to come from
  6. hand — help
  7. wind — moving air
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. pop — music
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. present — there
  14. present — a gift
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. present — the time now
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. pop — soda
  22. prune — to trim
  23. pop — to visit
  24. prune — the fruit

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