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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. tube — a container
  4. court — for sport
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. stem — to come from
  8. bank — for money
  9. tube — the underground
  10. court — of law
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. dip — to sink
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. bank — for money
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. prune — to trim
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. court — of a king
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. bank — of a river
  24. prune — to trim

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