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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
468
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: ball · wake · bowl · chest · rock · mark · prune · hide

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. mark — a grade
  9. prune — to trim
  10. chest — of your body
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. chest — a box
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. mark — a trace
  15. chest — of your body
  16. rock — a stone
  17. wake — a trail
  18. ball — a dance
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. rock — music
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. hide — animal skin

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