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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: leaves · prune · stem · lean · cell · toast · game · land

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. land — ground
  3. lean — thin
  4. stem — to come from
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. prune — to trim
  7. game — wild animals
  8. land — a country
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. game — a match
  11. cell — in biology
  12. cell — a phone
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. toast — bread
  23. lean — to bend
  24. land — to come down

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