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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.

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: cell · wound · bat · club · ball · prune · bark · can

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. cell — a phone
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. ball — a great time
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. wound — an injury
  8. prune — to trim
  9. cell — in biology
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. prune — to trim
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. can — a tin
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. bat — the animal
  17. club — for golf
  18. can — a tin
  19. club — for dancing
  20. club — a group
  21. ball — a dance
  22. bark — to shout
  23. wound — an injury
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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