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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: deal · bear · prune · lean · field · hand · stem · cap

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. hand — in cards
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — to trim
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. hand — help
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. field — for sport
  12. deal — to handle
  13. lean — to bend
  14. stem — to come from
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. bear — the animal
  19. cap — a hat
  20. field — farmland
  21. lean — thin
  22. bear — the animal
  23. cap — of ice
  24. field — a subject

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