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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: prune · dip · bulb · straw · rush · stem · tube · file

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. bulb — for light
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. rush — hurry
  7. stem — to come from
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. tube — the underground
  10. file — a tool
  11. bulb — for light
  12. dip — to sink
  13. prune — to trim
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. file — a line of people
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. file — a document
  24. tube — a container

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