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

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. prune — to trim
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pop — music
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. stem — to come from
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. prune — to trim
  14. tube — a container
  15. ball — a dance
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. pop — soda
  18. ball — a great time
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. pop — to visit
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. tube — the underground

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