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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.

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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: chest · mate · prune · stem · can · ball · march · roll

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. chest — of your body
  3. mate — to breed
  4. can — a tin
  5. stem — to come from
  6. march — music
  7. ball — a dance
  8. chest — a box
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. mate — a friend
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. mate — a partner
  15. roll — a cake
  16. prune — to trim
  17. ball — a great time
  18. march — the month
  19. can — a tin
  20. march — the month
  21. prune — to trim
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. chest — of your body
  24. can — to be able to

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