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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 116 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: net · ball · bear · march · bowl · mate · prune · land

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. mate — a friend
  4. march — the month
  5. land — ground
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. ball — a dance
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. land — to come down
  11. march — the month
  12. land — a country
  13. mate — to breed
  14. net — after costs
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. ball — a great time
  17. prune — to trim
  18. mate — a partner
  19. bear — the animal
  20. net — for catching
  21. march — music
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. bear — the animal
  24. net — in sport

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