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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: coach · ground · ball · prune · bark · pop · firm · game

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. ball — a great time
  3. firm — steady
  4. firm — a company
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. pop — to visit
  7. firm — decided
  8. ground — the earth
  9. game — wild animals
  10. prune — to trim
  11. pop — music
  12. ground — crushed
  13. ball — a dance
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. prune — to trim
  20. game — a match
  21. bark — to shout
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. pop — soda

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