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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: prune · lash · stem · field · rest · cue · spring · arm

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. rest — a break
  3. rest — what's left
  4. cue — a signal
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. prune — to trim
  8. spring — a coil
  9. field — for sport
  10. rest — what's left
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. prune — to trim
  14. cue — for pool
  15. field — farmland
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. cue — a hint
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. spring — the season
  21. field — a subject
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. spring — of water

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