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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 120 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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. mug — a cup
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. band — a ring
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. file — a line of people
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. prune — to trim
  10. bound — obliged
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. mug — a face
  14. mug — to rob
  15. file — a tool
  16. bound — certain
  17. plane — a tool
  18. band — a music group
  19. stem — to come from
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. bound — tied together
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. file — a document

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