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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. mate — a partner
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. race — a contest
  11. mate — a friend
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. mate — to breed
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. stem — to come from
  17. race — humankind
  18. craft — boats
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. sharp — clever
  22. craft — a skill
  23. race — the arms race
  24. prune — to trim

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