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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: bore · can · prune · club · chest · tube · stem · racket

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. chest — a box
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. prune — to trim
  6. tube — a container
  7. chest — of your body
  8. can — to be able to
  9. tube — the underground
  10. club — for golf
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. prune — to trim
  15. can — a tin
  16. chest — of your body
  17. club — a group
  18. can — a tin
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. bore — to drill
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. stem — to come from
  23. bore — to tire
  24. stem — of a plant

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