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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: stem · fan · prune · game · tube · swing · file · nail

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. tube — the underground
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. swing — to play on
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. tube — a container
  10. file — a tool
  11. game — a match
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. file — a line of people
  14. prune — to trim
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. swing — music
  19. swing — in golf
  20. file — a document
  21. game — wild animals
  22. prune — to trim
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. stem — to come from

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