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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — to trim
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. chip — to eat
  9. stem — to come from
  10. deal — to handle
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. cold — not warm
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. chip — for betting
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. cold — an illness

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