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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: field · wound · rest · date · deal · prune · stem · ground

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rest — what's left
  4. wound — an injury
  5. deal — to handle
  6. ground — crushed
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. field — farmland
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. ground — a position
  12. stem — to come from
  13. field — for sport
  14. field — a subject
  15. wound — an injury
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. prune — to trim
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. ground — the earth
  22. rest — a break
  23. date — the fruit
  24. prune — the fruit

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