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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: prune · bat · file · bear · current · mate · roll · ball

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. file — a document
  3. mate — to breed
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bear — the animal
  6. prune — to trim
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. file — a line of people
  9. file — a tool
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. current — happening now
  12. roll — a cake
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. roll — a list
  15. current — of water
  16. bear — the animal
  17. current — electric
  18. bat — the animal
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. mate — a partner
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. mate — a friend
  24. ball — a great time

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