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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. cue — for pool
  4. bulb — for light
  5. prune — to trim
  6. stem — to come from
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. cold — not warm
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. prune — to trim
  12. bulb — for light
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. cue — a signal
  16. saw — the tool
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. cold — an illness
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. cue — a hint
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. saw — the tool

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