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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: season · bound · stem · prune · game · rush · tube · ruler

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. rush — hurry
  3. stem — to come from
  4. season — in sport
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. bound — tied together
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. game — a match
  10. bound — obliged
  11. tube — the underground
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. tube — a container
  14. game — wild animals
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. prune — to trim
  20. season — of the year
  21. prune — to trim
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. bound — certain
  24. ruler — a monarch

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