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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: fine · ball · wave · ground · key · band · pit · prune

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. pit — a hole
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. prune — to trim
  7. band — a music group
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. band — a ring
  10. key — in music
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. fine — all right
  13. ball — a great time
  14. pit — in a race
  15. ground — the earth
  16. key — for a lock
  17. ground — a position
  18. prune — to trim
  19. ground — crushed
  20. key — the most important part
  21. ball — a dance
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. ball — a round shape

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