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

Word bank: bore · charge · arm · bear · band · prune · stem · snap

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. stem — to come from
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. charge — electricity
  7. prune — to trim
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. snap — to click
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. charge — a price
  13. bore — to drill
  14. band — a music group
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. charge — in control
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bore — to tire
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. prune — to trim
  23. bear — the animal
  24. band — a ring

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