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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: foot · prune · mine · stem · nail · game · pop · lash

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. game — a match
  7. mine — for digging
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. foot — a measure
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. pop — to visit
  14. pop — soda
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. game — wild animals
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. prune — to trim
  22. pop — music
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. nail — on a finger

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