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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: firm · rash · prune · spring · stem · race · land · foot

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. stem — to come from
  3. firm — a company
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. race — humankind
  7. firm — steady
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. race — the arms race
  10. land — a country
  11. spring — the season
  12. prune — to trim
  13. rash — a series
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. land — to come down
  17. firm — decided
  18. race — a contest
  19. spring — of water
  20. spring — a coil
  21. prune — to trim
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. foot — a measure
  24. rash — hasty

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