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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. lean — to bend
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. stem — to come from
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. rule — a law
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. firm — a company
  9. lean — thin
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. firm — decided
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. cell — a phone
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. cell — in biology
  22. prune — to trim
  23. rule — government
  24. pound — a weight

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