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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cold · rash · present · lean · row · stem · fan · prune

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. cold — not warm
  3. rash — hasty
  4. row — to paddle
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. rash — a series
  7. present — the time now
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. lean — to bend
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. prune — to trim
  13. row — a line
  14. present — there
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. present — a gift
  18. prune — to trim
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. cold — an illness
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. lean — thin

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