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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: spring · prune · file · foot · stem · fork · toast · wind

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. spring — of water
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. spring — the season
  13. wind — moving air
  14. file — a tool
  15. spring — a coil
  16. foot — a measure
  17. file — a document
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. fork — in a road
  20. prune — to trim
  21. wind — moving air
  22. stem — to come from
  23. prune — to trim
  24. toast — bread

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