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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 120 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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. bear — the animal
  3. spring — a coil
  4. stem — to come from
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. bat — the animal
  9. spring — the season
  10. bear — the animal
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. prune — to trim
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. prune — to trim
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. foot — a measure
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. spring — of water
  24. safe — out of danger

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