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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 116 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: spell · spring · rush · prune · stem · firm · sharp · land

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. prune — to trim
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. spring — a coil
  6. land — ground
  7. spell — a short time
  8. spell — magic
  9. firm — a company
  10. spell — letters
  11. rush — hurry
  12. spring — of water
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. stem — to come from
  15. land — to come down
  16. firm — decided
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. firm — steady
  20. prune — to trim
  21. land — a country
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. spring — the season
  24. sharp — clever

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