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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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468
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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 cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. prune — to trim
  4. rest — a break
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. scale — size or range
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. wind — moving air
  13. scale — in music
  14. stem — to come from
  15. wake — a trail
  16. wind — moving air
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. rest — what's left
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. cell — a phone
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. rest — what's left
  24. cell — in biology

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