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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: rule · prune · dip · wind · racket · stem · bound · deal

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. bound — obliged
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. bound — certain
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. prune — to trim
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — moving air
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. dip — to sink
  14. stem — to come from
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. rule — government
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. rule — a law
  20. deal — to handle
  21. bound — tied together
  22. prune — to trim
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. dip — a sauce

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