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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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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: lean · cold · stem · deal · saw · prune · content · tube

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. saw — the tool
  4. content — happy
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. cold — not warm
  7. saw — the tool
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. content — the amount
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. prune — to trim
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. cold — an illness
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. tube — the underground
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. deal — to handle
  20. lean — to bend
  21. lean — thin
  22. tube — a container
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. prune — to trim

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