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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: bank · tube · prune · court · wax · bat · ball · dip

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. bat — the animal
  3. ball — a dance
  4. bank — for money
  5. ball — a great time
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. dip — to sink
  8. prune — to trim
  9. court — of law
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. tube — a container
  13. tube — the underground
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. bank — for money
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. court — of a king
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. prune — to trim
  20. wax — to grow
  21. court — for sport
  22. bank — of a river
  23. dip — a sauce
  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