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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 116 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 · net · tube · chip · prune · calf · mine · court

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. court — for sport
  6. court — of a king
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. tube — a container
  10. prune — to trim
  11. mine — for digging
  12. net — in sport
  13. prune — to trim
  14. net — after costs
  15. net — for catching
  16. court — of law
  17. stem — to come from
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. chip — for betting
  24. chip — to eat

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