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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 120 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: wake · deal · drill · prune · stick · stem · ground · rest

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. ground — crushed
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. deal — to handle
  6. rest — a break
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. drill — a practice
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. prune — to trim
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. wake — a trail
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. ground — a position
  16. drill — the tool
  17. stem — to come from
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. rest — what's left
  21. prune — to trim
  22. rest — what's left
  23. drill — army training
  24. ground — the earth

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