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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: prune · rule · stem · pit · shower · tube · bank · fall

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. bank — for money
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. prune — to trim
  6. fall — to drop
  7. shower — to wash
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. pit — a hole
  10. fall — the season
  11. bank — of a river
  12. tube — the underground
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. shower — rain
  15. bank — for money
  16. stem — to come from
  17. fall — to drop
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. prune — to trim
  21. tube — a container
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. rule — a law
  24. pit — in a race

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