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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: stem · prune · court · foot · drill · season · club · ball

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. court — for sport
  3. foot — a measure
  4. stem — to come from
  5. club — a group
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. prune — to trim
  9. court — of a king
  10. club — for dancing
  11. drill — the tool
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. ball — a great time
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. drill — a practice
  17. season — in sport
  18. club — for golf
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. season — of the year
  21. court — of law
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. drill — army training
  24. prune — to trim

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