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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. ball — a great time
  3. court — of law
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. degree — from a university
  7. mug — to rob
  8. band — a music group
  9. fork — in a road
  10. court — for sport
  11. stem — to come from
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. ball — a dance
  14. band — a ring
  15. degree — an amount
  16. mug — a cup
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. mug — a face
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. degree — temperature
  22. prune — to trim
  23. prune — to trim
  24. court — of a king

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