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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 120 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: chest · ball · present · stem · racket · stick · cold · prune

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. chest — of your body
  4. chest — a box
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. cold — an illness
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. ball — a dance
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. prune — to trim
  14. present — the time now
  15. cold — not warm
  16. ball — a great time
  17. present — a gift
  18. chest — of your body
  19. prune — to trim
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. present — there
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. stem — to come from
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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