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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. court — of law
  3. stem — to come from
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. cap — a lid
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. court — for sport
  9. spring — of water
  10. cap — a hat
  11. court — of a king
  12. spring — the season
  13. spring — a coil
  14. prune — to trim
  15. prune — to trim
  16. firm — a company
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. firm — steady
  21. snap — to click
  22. firm — decided
  23. cap — of ice
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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