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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: net · bat · stem · press · prune · coach · ball · game

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. prune — to trim
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. press — to push
  6. game — a match
  7. net — after costs
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. press — a publisher
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. net — for catching
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. net — in sport
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. ball — a great time
  19. ball — a dance
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. game — wild animals
  22. bat — the animal
  23. stem — to come from
  24. press — newspapers

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