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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rush · prune · ruler · racket · stem · root · temple · hand

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. prune — to trim
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. root — of a word
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. root — of a plant
  12. stem — to come from
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. hand — help
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. rush — hurry
  20. hand — in cards
  21. root — the cause
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. stem — a stem cell
  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