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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bowl · bore · prune · cue · game · leaves · march · band

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. march — music
  4. bore — to tire
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. game — wild animals
  8. prune — to trim
  9. cue — for pool
  10. cue — a hint
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. bore — to drill
  14. march — the month
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. band — a music group
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. prune — to trim
  20. game — a match
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. march — the month
  23. cue — a signal
  24. band — a ring

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