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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: tube · prune · pass · mate · ruler · stem · bat · pitch

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. prune — to trim
  3. mate — a friend
  4. prune — to trim
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. stem — to come from
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. pass — a permit
  14. mate — a partner
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. pitch — completely
  17. bat — the animal
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. mate — to breed
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. tube — the underground

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