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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. fine — high quality
  3. object — to protest
  4. net — for catching
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. net — in sport
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. bat — the animal
  12. fine — all right
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. prune — to trim
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. prune — to trim
  17. net — after costs
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. object — a thing
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. object — an aim

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