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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: stem · lean · hand · tube · mark · ball · prune · hide

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. mark — a trace
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. lean — to bend
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. stem — to come from
  7. ball — a great time
  8. tube — the underground
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hand — in cards
  13. tube — a container
  14. prune — to trim
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. lean — thin
  18. ball — a dance
  19. mark — a grade
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. prune — to trim
  22. hand — help
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. stem — a stem cell

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