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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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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: pop · fork · kick · stem · racket · temple · cold · prune

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. kick — in football
  3. fork — in a road
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. prune — to trim
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. pop — to visit
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. pop — soda
  15. prune — to trim
  16. cold — not warm
  17. pop — music
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. cold — an illness
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. stem — to come from
  24. racket — for tennis

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