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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: prune · fall · tear · rash · stem · hand · object · suit

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. object — to protest
  3. rash — a series
  4. stem — to come from
  5. object — a thing
  6. suit — in cards
  7. object — an aim
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — from crying
  10. hand — in cards
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. suit — clothes
  13. hand — help
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. fall — to drop
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. fall — the season
  18. suit — to fit
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. fall — to drop
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. prune — to trim
  23. tear — to rip
  24. rash — hasty

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