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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 116 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: cap · prune · fall · pit · stem · season · mouse · chair

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. pit — a hole
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. chair — a leader
  5. prune — to trim
  6. stem — to come from
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. cap — of ice
  10. cap — a lid
  11. fall — the season
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. season — of the year
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. fall — to drop
  19. cap — a hat
  20. fall — to drop
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. pit — in a race
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. season — in sport

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