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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: kick · prune · stem · tube · bear · ruler · patient · season

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. kick — in football
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. season — in sport
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. bear — the animal
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. tube — a container
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. tube — the underground
  13. season — of the year
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. bear — the animal
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. prune — to trim
  24. patient — a sick person

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