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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.

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: prune · ball · can · game · land · roll · dip · band

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. dip — to sink
  3. can — to be able to
  4. game — wild animals
  5. can — a tin
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. game — a match
  9. band — a music group
  10. ball — a dance
  11. roll — a cake
  12. land — to come down
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. prune — to trim
  15. land — a country
  16. prune — to trim
  17. band — a ring
  18. roll — a list
  19. land — ground
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. ball — a great time

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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