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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. row — a line
  3. stem — to come from
  4. root — the cause
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. prune — to trim
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. root — of a word
  10. file — a document
  11. sharp — clever
  12. file — a tool
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. can — to be able to
  15. can — a tin
  16. can — a tin
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. file — a line of people
  19. row — to paddle
  20. root — of a plant
  21. mine — for digging
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. prune — to trim
  24. sharp — exactly

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