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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: swing · prune · ball · pass · roll · bore · can · tube

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. swing — music
  3. tube — the underground
  4. bore — to tire
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. roll — a list
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. ball — a great time
  9. ball — a dance
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. tube — a container
  12. pass — a permit
  13. roll — a cake
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. bore — to drill
  16. swing — to play on
  17. swing — in golf
  18. can — to be able to
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. can — a tin
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. prune — to trim
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. can — a tin

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