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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 120 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 · present · stem · wave · kid · pop · bass · tube

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. pop — to visit
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. prune — to trim
  6. tube — a container
  7. pop — music
  8. stem — to come from
  9. bass — low music
  10. present — the time now
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. tube — the underground
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. present — a gift
  16. kid — to tease
  17. present — there
  18. bass — the fish
  19. kid — child
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. pop — soda
  24. bass — the instrument

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