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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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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: pit · firm · cold · stem · prune · bulb · bank · wound

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. cold — an illness
  6. bank — for money
  7. firm — steady
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. prune — to trim
  11. cold — not warm
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. pit — a hole
  14. bank — of a river
  15. firm — a company
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bulb — for light
  18. prune — to trim
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. bank — for money
  21. stem — to come from
  22. pit — in a race
  23. firm — decided
  24. bulb — for light

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