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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: bulb · rest · drill · prune · ball · court · rush · mark

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. rush — hurry
  4. prune — to trim
  5. drill — army training
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. bulb — for light
  8. court — of a king
  9. mark — a grade
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. bulb — for light
  12. ball — a great time
  13. mark — a trace
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rest — a break
  19. ball — a dance
  20. court — for sport
  21. drill — a practice
  22. prune — to trim
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. court — of law

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