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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 116 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 · cell · kid · stem · dip · bound · stand · pitcher

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. stem — to come from
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. bound — certain
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. kid — to tease
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. dip — to sink
  11. prune — to trim
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bound — obliged
  17. bound — tied together
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. kid — child
  20. cell — in biology
  21. cell — a phone
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. stand — to bear
  24. dip — a sauce

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