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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: last · cold · wake · toast · court · bay · stem · prune

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. last — to go on
  6. prune — to trim
  7. toast — bread
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. last — finally
  10. court — of a king
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. court — of law
  13. cold — an illness
  14. court — for sport
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. prune — to trim
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. cold — not warm
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. last — final
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. stem — to come from
  24. wake — a trail

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