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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. drill — a practice
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. bear — the animal
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. season — of the year
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — to trim
  10. drill — army training
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. bear — the animal
  16. season — in sport
  17. stem — to come from
  18. ball — a great time
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. branch — a division
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. drill — the tool

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