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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: ground · sharp · racket · ball · wake · roll · bore · prune

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  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. racket — for tennis
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. bore — to tire
  6. ball — a great time
  7. roll — a cake
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. prune — to trim
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. ground — crushed
  12. roll — a list
  13. bore — to drill
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. ground — a position
  16. ground — the earth
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. sharp — clever
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. ball — a dance
  23. wake — a trail
  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