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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: prune · safe · wound · rock · object · stem · mine · tear

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. tear — from crying
  3. rock — music
  4. stem — to come from
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. tear — from crying
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. object — a thing
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. object — to protest
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. prune — to trim
  17. rock — a stone
  18. mine — for digging
  19. wound — an injury
  20. prune — to trim
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. tear — to rip
  23. wound — an injury
  24. rock — to move gently

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