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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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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: tube · last · lie · rule · prune · hide · stem · march

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. march — music
  3. last — final
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. stem — to come from
  7. lie — to recline
  8. tube — the underground
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. last — to go on
  14. rule — a law
  15. rule — government
  16. last — finally
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. tube — a container
  19. prune — to trim
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. march — the month
  22. march — the month
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. prune — to trim

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