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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: bound · spell · pitcher · net · mug · prune · bark · ball

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. mug — a cup
  3. bark — to shout
  4. net — in sport
  5. bound — certain
  6. ball — a dance
  7. net — for catching
  8. prune — to trim
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. spell — magic
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. spell — letters
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. mug — to rob
  17. prune — to trim
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. spell — a short time
  21. bound — obliged
  22. bound — tied together
  23. mug — a face
  24. net — after costs

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