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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: present · prune · shower · mug · bay · toast · spell · stem

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. prune — to trim
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. mug — a cup
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. present — there
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. spell — magic
  11. mug — a face
  12. spell — letters
  13. spell — a short time
  14. mug — to rob
  15. toast — bread
  16. shower — rain
  17. shower — to wash
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. present — the time now
  21. present — a gift
  22. prune — to trim
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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