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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: roll · prune · spring · pit · tube · coach · bowl · stem

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. roll — a cake
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. pit — a hole
  6. stem — to come from
  7. prune — to trim
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. tube — a container
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. roll — a list
  14. pit — in a race
  15. spring — a coil
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. tube — the underground
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. prune — to trim
  24. spring — the season

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