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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: tube · stick · pop · leaves · ball · mug · lie · stem

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. pop — soda
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. mug — to rob
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. ball — a great time
  10. pop — to visit
  11. lie — to recline
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. pop — music
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. mug — a cup
  16. mug — a face
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. tube — a container
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. ball — a dance
  23. stem — to come from
  24. tube — the underground

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