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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: lean · stem · suit · kid · prune · bowl · clip · racket

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. suit — clothes
  4. clip — for paper
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. stem — to come from
  7. lean — to bend
  8. clip — to cut
  9. kid — to tease
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. clip — a video
  14. suit — to fit
  15. lean — thin
  16. suit — in cards
  17. prune — to trim
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. prune — to trim
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. kid — child

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