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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: prune · land · bowl · suit · rest · march · cell · mouse

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. suit — in cards
  3. rest — a break
  4. land — a country
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. prune — to trim
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. cell — a phone
  10. march — music
  11. land — ground
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. march — the month
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. suit — to fit
  16. march — the month
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. land — to come down
  20. suit — clothes
  21. cell — in biology
  22. rest — what's left
  23. prune — to trim
  24. rest — what's left

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