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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: cell · date · pitcher · stock · ruler · hand · prune · tube

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. cell — in biology
  7. date — the fruit
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. cell — a phone
  12. prune — to trim
  13. stock — goods
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. tube — a container
  17. hand — in cards
  18. stock — shares
  19. tube — the underground
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. hand — help
  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