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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 116 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: stem · perch · cap · prune · pitcher · club · rock · content

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. cap — a hat
  4. cap — a lid
  5. club — for golf
  6. club — a group
  7. club — for dancing
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. perch — the fish
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. prune — to trim
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. rock — a stone
  19. content — happy
  20. prune — to trim
  21. content — the amount
  22. cap — of ice
  23. stem — to come from
  24. rock — music

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